SA: Dreaming Girls Foundation to host first conference

The Dreaming Girls Music Conference will take place at St Martin’s School in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 5 to 7 July.

Confirmed speakers include jazz singer Nomfundo Xaluva, traditional instrumentalist Sibahle 'Sky' Dladla, cultural expert Claire Metais and CREA8 International founder Thuli Zulu.

The free event is limited to 30 girls and women, and interested individuals can register via the Dreaming Girls Foundation official website.

“The mission of the foundation is to bring women to the forefront and equip them with the resources and foresight needed to engage in society as social architects,” singer and Dreaming Girls Foundation founder Naledi Masilo told Music In Africa.

“This conference will culminate in the Capstone Project, which will be presented at a gala dinner. We will have music therapists, inspiring industry professional and strong female leaders who will lead the sessions. Moreover, music educators will facilitate group lessons and one-on-one sessions with the participants.

“We will be looking at how we can develop ourselves personally as musicians, so there will be sessions on mental health and self-care. We will also engage on topics that are intended to build social-development projects. In addition, there will also be sessions on music development and how we can develop relationships as musicians.”

Masilo said the event would accommodate women and girls from all age groups. “This is an intergenerational conference and we therefore have 10 seats for high school girls between the ages of 13 and 18. We have 10 seats for young adults from 18 to 25 and 10 seats for working professionals from 25 years and above. We want people from all walks of life and from every profession in the music industry, not just performers but also sound engineers, music journalists and radio broadcasters, to engage with each other."

Masilo said she wanted the conference to cut through socio-economic castes. "What inspired this event was the realisation that as female musicians we do not necessarily start from the same level; we do not have the same resources and networks to engage in conversation of equality in music and society. I really want this conference to be a space where women and girls are able to come on the same platform and not have to worry about their background or resources. It’s really about creating equality for ourselves."

The Dreaming Girls Foundation is currently running a crowdfunding campaign. Support the foundation here.

For more information, visit the the Dreaming Girls Foundation homepage.