What have we gained from Xplore?

From 12–16 July five South African acts participated in the Globaltica World Cultures Festival in Kolibki Park in the Polish port city of Gdynia. The five – Modise Sekgothe (poetry), Flex Of He & I (poetry/music), Wandile Mbambeni (music), Bonj (music) and Khayalethu (poetry) – successfully triumphed in an Open Call for South African musicians and spoken word artists as part of the  MusicXwords initiative along with the EU Delegation to South Africa.

Continuing the X metaphor from MusicXwords, the intention of Xplore is to reinforce the capacity of talented South African artists to open opportunities to and with Europe, broadening intercultural perspectives and potential markets within the European continent, as well as in diaspora communities around the world.

A lot happened before going to Gdynia. The selected artists met with Mr. Andrzej Kanthak, Ambassador of Poland to South Africa, in order to learn more about Poland, its culture and people. And not only. Prior to the festival, our South African collective attended a variety of workshops at WOMAD in South Africa together with industry professionals, creative strategists, acclaimed musicians in order to exchange insights about artist management, business and music distribution, studio and live work among many other topics.

Poland was their next stop.  In Gdynia, they had the chance to explore the city, participate in workshops and masterclasses, network with their Poland-based counterparts and meet with the organisers of Globaltica. The festival celebrates world cultures and multicultural content, with an emphasis on ‘living culture’. A perfect fit for  Modise Sekgothe, Flex Of He & I, Wandile Mbambeni, Bonj and Khayalethu, artists who not only live culture, but that also acculturate life on and off the African continent.

What have we gained from Xplore? Get to know about the impact of this experience directly from our selected South African artists.