We attended Journey to Jazz in Prince Albert for the first time last week and felt sorry that we have missed out on the previous years. It is beautiful festival, set in a charming Karoo dorp that is not without its uniquely South African problems.
The musical highlights were many, but the real highlight was discovering the town, its history and seeing in action the real efforts to make difference to a community where the rich have realised that their peace and prosperity are interwoven with uplifting the poor of which, in keeping with the rest of our country, there are way too many.
The town is clean, the people are friendly, and it felt safe to walk around late at night after shows. I found myself sometimes walking in the middle of the road, forgetting that there might be cars approaching.
Former political activist turned businesswoman Cheryl Carolus, who was a keynote speaker at the festival, said it best: “Like so many rural South African communities, it holds within it both the weight of inequality and the stubborn, daily work of people who refuse to let that be the final word. Journey to Jazz exists inside that tension – and it exists on purpose.
“Yes, this is a world-class music festival. The artists on our stages are exceptional, and the setting is unlike anywhere else on earth. But if that were all we were, we would simply be a beautiful event in a beautiful place. We want to be something more than that.”
There were many small touches that made this festival different to other festivals I have attended over the years.
One was attending a session called Almal se Stoepstories, at the Fransie Pienaar Museum, where elderly local women, mainly from the North End side of town (where coloured people were forcibly removed in the 1960s under the Group Areas Act) told their komvandaan stories to an appreciative audience.
The idea was that the women would be interviewed by learners from the local school, but the women did not need to be prompted to tell their stories which explained the realities of rural living, where baasskap ran supreme for many decades, if not centuries, and where the black and coloured people, despite the pain that they clearly still feel, call for reconciliation instead of retribution.
In fact, the guest speaker, Samuel Delport, the retired principal of Prince Albert Primary School, in his speech, quoted from Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney’s hit, Ebony and Ivory: “Ebony and ivory live together in perfect harmony / Side by side on my piano keyboard, oh Lord, why don't we?” It might sound corny, but it appears to be a true reflection of what the people of Prince Albert and the surrounding towns are trying to do.
My feeling after the event was that, while it was good, the people of Prince Albert, many of whom have had to restart their lives due to being forcibly removed from homes in which they grew up, probably deserve a bit more than a performative event – they need a process of healing that includes counselling, talking, reflecting, education and, probably, lots of crying.
Two other small highlights were witnessing the Prince Albert Rieldansers performing opposite the Museum and the Outeniqua Jazz Band performing at the local market. Both were performances we stumbled on by accident, which made them more special.
Musical highlights were plenty and, as is the nature of festivals, one is not able to see everyone. But I made sure that I saw Vusi Mahlasela and Nomfundo Xaluva, as well as attend an open-air concert on the Swartberg Pass, which was very special for all who were lucky to attend.
Our journey started on Thursday night with pianist Paul Hamner performing songs from his popular Trains to Taung album with a trio. Hamner has been mentoring young people in the area and made several appearances during the festival, including a master class on Friday morning, a solo piano performance on Friday night, and a guest appearance at the “People’s Concert” which closed out festivities on the Sunday morning.
On Friday night, we saw beautiful but different performances by vocalists and pianists Amy Campbell and Nomfundo Xaluva. Campbell performed some of her swing favourites, while Xaluva performed some of her favourite songs which she wrote and recorded. She is probably my favourite South African singer at the moment.
But the big day was Saturday, starting at the PACT (Prince Albert Community Trust) Centre with a master class by bassist Jonathan Rubain and saxophonist Donvino Prins, who spoke about how koortjies helped shape Cape Jazz. The two played several popular jazz songs as part of their master class. This was followed by a master class discussion between Nomfundo Xaluva and Yonela Mnana which explored “jazz as a hybrid musical heritage”. It was a stimulating and intellectual discussion which challenged a lot of the conventional wisdoms about jazz and other music forms in South Africa.
Using what is known as the “dansvloer” for special concerts in the Swartberg pass was a masterstroke by the organisers. We missed Zoe Modiga’s performance on Friday night (we woke up too late to book), but we were privileged to attend the performance by singer and uMakhweyana bow player, Zawadi Yamungu, on Saturday afternoon. It was a soulful and spiritual performance which showed respect for space in which it was performed: surrounded by the special mountain peaks of the Swartberg. This performance on its own made the festival worth attending.
The evening choices were difficult. We chose Linda Sikhakane, Vusi Mahlasela and Jonathan Rubain, but could so easily have chosen Nomfundo Xaluva, Yonela Mnana and the Soultee Sisters, and Kyle Shepherd.
It was my first time seeing Sikhakane performing, and he and singer Paras Dlamini did not disappoint, carrying forth the soulful and reflective sounds that we had just experienced on the mountain.
Vusi Mahlasela’s performance was, as always, special. What made it even more special was when he related his health challenges in recent years, having to go for dialysis four times a week and not having much energy, while also struggling to reach the high notes as easily as he did in the past. Despite this, he performed more than 15 minutes longer than scheduled and showed that his voice remains as beautiful as ever. This performance was the second reason I was glad I attended the festival.
The major music venues – the NG Church and The Showroom – are quite close to each other, as was the place to hang out in between sets. Called Ons, it is a community development project where young people are being taught culinary skills which could help them find permanent employment. The food was inexpensive, and DJs kept the party spirit going until late each night.
The final highlight, and something we did not really know what to expect, was the free “People’s Concert” at the NG Church on Sunday morning. The people of Prince Albert showed with this concert, which is meant to pay tribute to the people who worked on the festival, why this festival and the town are so special. The free concert was different to all the other events.
When we arrived about 15 minutes before the show, the staff were lined up on both sides of the entrance and applauded everyone who passed to enter the venue. It was a nice touch that made all the festival goers feel special.
Ingrid Wolfaardt, founder of PACT, explained that the festival employed 80 young people, 50 of whom had never worked before. She emphasised the close working relationships between different stakeholders of the festival, including the municipality and police.
The concert itself opened with a spiritual classical solo piano performance by Yonela Mnana, followed by performances by various formations of the Outeniqua Jazz Band, accompanied for some of the songs by the Prince Albert Primary School Choir and other guests, including Paul Hamner and local singer Waldon Paul Ewerts of the Karoo Jazz Project.
One of my greatest takeaways from this festival was the collaboration between everyone to make it a success. There was a sense that the people own the festival, despite the social issues that the town might be experiencing and the history of dispossession that those classified as coloured will always remember.
One of the mottos of the people of Prince Albert is that “groet is ’n moet” (greeting is a must) and this has been passed on to the young people in the area. As one of the speakers said, greeting others allow you to see their humanity. Maybe that is the greatest lesson from this festival and town for the rest of South Africa. We need to go back to basic decency, reconnect with each other and work together to sort out our many problems. The people of Prince Albert have shown that it can be done. It is time for others to follow.
(First published on this website on Monday, 4 May 2026)
