A concert which aimed to “decolonise through music, arts and culture”, was held at the Revelation Spiritual Home church in Philippi on Saturday May 28.
Organisers, Abazi Productions, said they aimed to enlighten people about the importance of embracing tradition, values and culture.
The concert is hosted once a year in almost every province with the aim of preaching the importance of preserving our culture and identity.
Artists such as the multi awarding hip hop heavyweight Big Zulu, Skroof Ace, Abaphilisi Bomoya and Zee Fola were among the artists who performed at the venue which was packed to capacity.
Abazi Productions representative, Nobuhle Tyhulu, said they also held the concert to help artists to recover from the blow Covid-19 had dealt the music industry.
“We are not saying we should not listen to music outside of cultures, but we should not make the mistake of making them ours. Even the artists that we have called to come are in line with the vision of the church.
“We want to restore the love of African beliefs and practices and we want to bring artists close to us in preaching this vision.
“Some people believe that when they sing music which praises their roots they might not have followers and supporters hence they have created such platforms. We want people to support such artists and see value in their music.”
Big Zulu said it was important that people embrace their culture and uniqueness because it is truly what defines them from other cultures.
He believes that one of the many reasons why South African artists do not achieve major recognition like Grammy Awards was because they were not authentic.
He said it was critical that people start embracing their own artists to ensure their success.
Zee Fola said if they were not preserving their identity and roots that implied that they are adopting concepts which were foreign from them.
