STOKVEL # 2 ⎪ 17 & 18 July 2009 ⎪ point blank gallery ⎪ Drill Hall ⎪ Jozi

PROGRAMME

FRIDAY 17 JULY

9pm ⎪ SCREENING
Zumbi Somos No’s, courtesy of Frente 3 de Fevereiro, an anti-racist direct action and research collective in Sao Paulo, Brazil

11pm ⎪SKYPE
Keynote presentation to the Allied Media Conference, Detroit on:
Stokvel: Cooperative economics for community organizing
Rangoato Hlasane and Dani McClain on new media and community based economy

SATURDAY 18 JULY

12 – 5 pm ⎪WORKSHOPS – open to everyone, register on arrival
1.    Beat-making with Slang Entertainment and producers
2.    Writing for hip hop soundtrack
3.    DIY music and CD packaging with super low budget [for limited editions, EPK’s, promo’s]

5-6pm ⎪VIDEOSOPHY
A fine selection of short films including the innovative “docu-music video” of Locusts by rapper/community organizer, Invincible

6-6:45pm ⎪SKYPE
Allied Media Conference, Detroit – Demonstration of DAM with BUMP Records. DAM is an online audio-visual file sharing technology to encourage music and video collaboration across regions and oceans.

7-30pm ⎪SKYPE
We crossover to Durban Sings oral history project, Durban
Durban Sings editorial team speak about their oral history project and how Jozi could be involved.

7:30-8pm ⎪BEATS EXCHANGE
Jozi sends beats to Detroit and vice versa, via DAM

8-8:30pm ⎪SKYPE
WHAT MOMENT IS THIS? Dialogue between emcees and activists at the AMC and Jozi about the role of hip-hop in transforming our communities within the global economic crisis.
Facilitated by Man Purple and Quaz, the panel will consist of Substance [hip hop artist, self-promotion], Likwid Tongue [artist collective, independent publishing], Last Days Fam [hip-hop group, breaking boundaries between independent releases and mainstream distribution], Slang Entertainment [independent recording, building and managing studio] and Fananathi Movement [street branding and distribution]

8:30-9pm ⎪GOT LYRICS?
Jozi and Detroit write over new beats informed by skype dialogue

9-10pm ⎪SKYPE
Transnational LIVE rap performances between Jozi and Detroit

10pm ⎪MUSIC, FOOD, FASHION, NETWORKS; PARTY WITH A PURPOSE
DJ’s: Nathi, Stan, Tigari and Davina…

…jazz, funk, kwaito, hip hop, broken beat, lounge, drum ‘n bass, dance, electronica, nostalgia, dub…

point blank gallery ⎪ Drill Hall, Plein & Twist Streets, Joubert Park
Opposite Noord Taxi Rank ⎪ Entrance on Plein ⎪ Secure parking available.

For more info 083 536 9379 ⎪ keleketla@gmail.com

OUR STOKVEL

In traditional stokvels as practiced in South Africa, a group of people agrees on a monthly/weekly/fortnightly amount of money that is saved collectively. There are derivatives to this practice. Some stokvels bank the cash to generate interest while others save collectively for a particular objective such as school fees, building houses and end of year shopping. Of particular interest to FRONTLINE Johannesburg, [a network of art collectives, activists and community organizers] is the community economic development of stokvel.

Trust is central to stokvel, because people take turns in receiving a lump sum payout. Thus, most stokvel arrangements consists of friends/relatives/neighbours who have a longstanding relationship. Herewith begins our adaptation of stokvel as hip-hop collectives, community organizers and activists in the city of Johannesburg.  We are already affiliated and work together through in/formal and organic ways; our version of a stokvel is to strengthen these existing relations.

Another element of importance in traditional stokvel is that of the event. This ‘event’ component of stokvel is a strand that relates directly to party and gig organizing as fundraising within hip-hop and community organizing. FRONTLINE would like to enhance this already successful yet sometimes shallow model of gigging by turning a stokvel into a hybrid of performance, workshops, networks, market and exchange. We hope to nurture the development of alternative economic models.

Stokvel # 2 is in part a contribution to the Allied Media Conference [AMC] taking place in Detroit from 16-19 July 2009. The AMC is a gathering of more than 800 community organizers and independent media makers from around America to share tactics and tools for transforming communities through media and creativity. The AMC theme for 2009 is: We are ready now: media and creativity to transform ourselves and our world.  FRONTLINE Johannesburg is invited to take part in two sessions including Keynote address on July 17th, the evening before Stokvel # 2. Our keynote centres on stokvel as a sustainable economic model, falling within the AMC’s ‘What moment is this’ sub-theme that re-imagines ‘recession’ as a womb for the “rebirth of a community-centered society”. Click the button on the right for more on the AMC.

Our stokvel will incorporate the ‘market’ into the mix with stalls by Jozi cultural entrepreneurs including Eskodini [Jozi-clothing], Lavesta [Kagiso-printed tshirts, hats and hoodies], secondOpinion [Jozi-vintage clothing with a massive Japanese influence], Spiral [Vosloorus-exclusive clothing designs] L2 Designs [Newtown-felt accessories]

Closer to home, we will be crossing over to the good people in KZN, linking up with the editorial team of the Durban Sings oral history project. They have been doing some intense work gathering stories and proverbs for an open online archive and collaborative remixes. Know more about it http://www.durbansings.wordpress.com.

ENTRANCE IS FREE-DONATIONS WELCOME – to benefit Keleketla! Community Resource Centre