The Gcwalisa Spring Picnic, which is a star-studded concert of artists from different genres is going to be held on 5 November at King s Park Stadium in Durban in KwaZulu Natal. The event was launched at Nto’s Boutique Hotel in Umhlanga and is organised by the Idlamlenze Foundation, which is a company owned by award winning maskandi artist Khuzani Mpungose.
A FESTIVAL OF GENRES
Mpungose told people attending this unique event will experience maskandi, hip hop and gospel in a musical spectacle that is set to officially bid farewell to the spring season and usher people in the festive season for the province of KZN. It is billed as biggest ever “cross- genre” event to be held in South Africa..The All White Gcwalisa Picnic will be headlined by the award winning maskandi maestro and organiser himself.
A POT OF DIVERSITY
The musical extravaganza will also feature a glittering array of other mega artists including DJ Tira, multi award winning rapper Cassper Nyovest, award-winning gospel artists Jumbo, Dumi Mkokstad, Thinah Zungu and Big Zulu, to mention but a few. “We have organised this event to achieve a number of objectives. Key among these is to showcase South Africa’s musical diversity, which is part of our rich cultural heritage. We also want to show that maskandi is not only an integral part of our musical repertoire but that we can have a concert which features this genre and a cross section of other genres to create a musical experience that can only happen in this country. Critically, we want to transform maskandi artists from being performers to being truly national and international brands that can compete with other brands in the world. We want to present a unique Maskandi event supported by other genres ” said Mthokozisi Zuma, who is the Project Director and Khuzani’s manager.
USHERING IN THE FESTIVE SEASON
Zuma further explained the significance of holding this picnic. “We urge all those who will be part of the event to come wearing their finest in white as part of thetheme of the event. We all know that our province has gone through a lot over the past two years. This includes the Covid 19 pandemic which caused untold destruction to many industries including tourism. We also experienced devastating social unrest in July last year as well as the floods which wreaked havoc earlier this year. In many ways than one, this event is aimed at celebrating the resilience of the people of this province and their undying loyalty to South African music as well as artists. But, more importantly, we want to usher in the festive season in style for the province of KwaZulu-Natal which has the biggest slice when it comes to domestic tourism,” he said.
