|Kaggen The Sky People

|Kaggen, it is said, once appeared to the people to break the void of darkness. |Kaggen, embodied in the Mantis, symbolises the presence of the supreme being in earthly life.

This sound inquiry seeks to explore the great song held within the desert planes of Africa. Conceived as a channeling of the stars, the grains of sand and the expansive imagination of Southern African folk mythology, the performance brings together the musical arts of three diverse musicians:

Mntana WeXhwele is a UCT Ph.D candidate specializing in indigenous music therapies. As an Afrikan multi-instrumentalist, his interdisciplinary practice explores how healing through sound creates a space that melds spirituality and materiality.

Derek Gripper is known for his ground-breaking technique for evoking the West African kora on the guitar. He has transcribed the complex music of Malian kora player Toumani Diabaté and infuses his interpretations of Bach’s music with lessons from the oral traditions of Africa.

Dizu Plaatjies is the founder and former leader of South Africa’s internationally celebrated marimba group, Amampondo. His compositions and arrangements of traditional songs appear on seven albums by his former group. After over 15 years of touring with Amampondo, he recorded his debut solo album, entitled 'Ibuyambo', in 2005. Since then, he has immersed himself in Southern Africa’s musical bow traditions in a quest for an expression that bridges the rift between the old and the new.

Together, Mntana, Derek and Dizu, will seek to imagine musically and vibrationally the energy of |Kaggen, the sand and the stars - through an embodied deep listening to the land.

Concert supported by,
Concerts SA, the
Norwegian Embassy and SAMRO

Live Performance 12 May 2022