SA: 2021 Basha Uhuru Festival announces line-up

They will be joined by Kitchen Mess, DJ Linda, Van Skosana, DJ Mr X and Bonga Kwana. More acts will be announced soon. The event is courtesy of Nando’s, and will feature a creative conference and a variety of art forms including, film, art, design, dance, theatre and poetry.

The festival, which was orignially slated for June, will now be held in October due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the event was reimagined in the face of the pandemic and saw the birth of the first Basha Uhuru Creative Uprising Festival, allowing the programme to be held in a hybrid format to accommodate a small physical audience and full live streaming. This year, the format of the main events will be similar, with limited tickets for in-person attendance.  

“The Creative Uprising has been scaled to support our creative community most affected by the current COVID-19 crisis, and has grown into an always-on programme, not just the three-day festival,” Constitution Hill CEO Dawn Robertson said.

MEC Economic Development in Gauteng province Parks Tau said investment was necessary for advancing the GrowingGautengT2030 Agenda to promote decent work and build an inclusive society.

“Constitution Hill has reinvented itself as a creative industries aggregator focused on youth self-employment,” Tau said. “The Creative Uprising Hub and Basha Uhuru Festival are integral to achieving this goal.”

Nando’s Art Initiative head Kirsty Niehaus said: “Creativity is the heart and soul of the Nando’s brand and business philosophy, which is why we’re excited to once again be bringing the heat to Johannesburg’s favourite creative event. We’re excited to fire up Mzansi’s up-and-coming new art, design and music talent, and to nurture and showcase local creativity.”

Tickets to the festival can be purchased here. More information about Basha Uhuru Creative Uprising Festival is available here.