NAF concert receives praise in RiverPost magazine
The “Sounding Indigenous in South Africa” project-sponsored concert, “Awe! Khoe Sounds from Namaqua”, received a glowing review in the Eastern Cape-based RiverPost (RivierPos) magazine.
Read excerpts of the review below.
“Preservation meets celebration in Awe! Khoe sounds from Namaqua
The Fringe program at the National Arts Festival delivered a culturally significant showcase yesterday afternoon at the Amazwi South African Museum of Literature. The performance by Awe! Khoe Sounds from Namaqua was far more than a standard musical set; it was a vibrant, living archive of Northern Cape heritage brought to the stage.
The production brought together an extraordinary group of Nama musicians. Taking center stage were the award-winning rieldans performers Jan Isaacs, known professionally as Boeta Gammie, and his son AJ Lee, delivering exceptional footwork that grounded the performance in regional dance traditions. Nama songwriter and Nama tin guitar player, Sylvester Fortuin— known as Oom Dolly and the original composer of the iconic track “Jaloers Bokkie” (later popularised by David Kramer)—anchored the melodic arrangements alongside traditional tin-violin player Oom Bampie. Supported by the talented Jaco Julius and Boetles Gewers, the ensemble filled the venue with an infectious energy.
The group navigated genres like the Nama stapdans and traditional rieldans, weaving historic Khoe and San storytelling with contemporary acoustic arrangements. Centered around a dynamic harmonica player downstage, the band pulled the audience into rhythmic breakdowns that balanced precision with celebratory joy.
Among the set highlights was the rendition of local folk melodies, including the catchy lyrics of “Bokkie Bokkie”:
“Bokkie, Bokkie, sê tog net vir my,
As jy tog liewer vir my kom staan.
Op my vrybakkie daar,
Ek sê, Bokkie, is dit waar?
Jy maak mos my lewe deurmekaar.”
The call-and-response style and synchronised instrumental play had the audience captivated, transforming a localised musical tradition into an engaging theatrical experience.
What makes Awe! Khoe Sounds particularly interesting is its position within active cultural preservation. The musicians form part of an extensive research initiative called “Sounding Indigenous in South Africa” (SISA). This project pairs Khoe and San scholar-activists with academic researchers from Rhodes University, Nelson Mandela University, and Carleton University of Canada to systematically document and archive heritage music and dance performances across Northern Cape communities.
What this reviewer likes about it is that the archival output—photographs, video, and audio recordings—is not locked away in an academic vacuum. It is stored directly with the indigenous community who generate the art, and professionally at the International Library of African Music (ILAM) right here in Makhanda.
Yesterday’s performance at Amazwi proved that archiving culture does not mean keeping it static. By stepping out of the field recordings and onto the festival stage, these musicians demonstrated that the sounds of Namaqualand remain joyous and vital.
“En ek jokkie vir jou bokkie”, for a nominal ticket price of R20, festival goers were treated to an invaluable performance of South African musical history.”
Many thanks to RiverPost and their readers for celebrating this momentous contribution of indigenous Nama music to South Africa‘s National Arts Festival!