Cape Town Jazz Fest a hub of empowerment

Rashid Lombard, festival director and CEO of event company espAfrika, said: "This festival is now far more than just two days of music. We hold a variety of events and programmes that expand the love of music amongst the broader communities of Cape Town and develop musical talent and other skills in the South African music entertainment industry."

As well as the Department of Arts and Culture, the SABC and the City of Cape Town, this year the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) and the South Atlantic Arts and Culture Trust has come on board as a principal funder of the T&D arm of the festival.

Said Lombard: "The involvement of our sponsors is crucial as our extensive range of programmes continue to expand year after year."

Ten empowerment and skills-development initiatives

Paul Mashatile, Minister of Arts and Culture, said: "The festival's 10 different empowerment and skills-development initiatives represent a powerful set of interventions that provide experiences and opportunities to individuals who would never otherwise have them. The Department of Arts and Culture is proud to be associated with this vital component of the annual jazz event as it opens up new opportunities and expands awareness of the power of arts and culture in our society."

"The SABC has a long history with the CTIJF and during 2012 entered into a three-year partnership with Cape Town's grandest gathering. The partnership extends beyond broadcasting and talks to shared values and a desire for skills transfer to happen," said Kaizer Kganyago, spokesman of the SABC.

"The SABC is proud to be the co-sponsor of the festival's T&D programme, aimed at a new generation of musicians, arts journalists and photographers. In order for measureable progress to take place from the T&D initiative, the focus should not be based upon short-term results only - developmental work requires longer time frames to deliver meaningful and lasting impact.

Patricia de Lille, the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, said: "It is heart-warming to know that many children from in and around Cape Town are exposed to music, musical instruments and rhythms in an entirely new way. The city and this festival have a long track record together: the event attracts visitors to our city while its communities actively participate in the festival.

Passionate about job creation

NLDTF's CEO, Charlotte Mampane, said: "We at the NLDTF are involved in supporting arts and culture, together with welfare, sport and recreation. Under the leadership of our chairman, Professor Nevhutanda, we are all very passionate about the job creation in the various organisations we fund each year. Our investment to the South Atlantic Arts and Culture Trust for the T&D programme for this year's festival is a valuable investment for the development of the music and entertainment industry.

The Sustainable Training and Development Programme for the 14th Cape Town International Jazz Festival (CTIJF) includes the following:

• Gigs for Kids: is an interactive show for pre-schoolers incorporating music, dance and drama that allows children to explore the sounds and rhythms of different musical instruments. This year, orphaned and previously disadvantaged children from two non-profit organisations - Lalela Project and Where Rainbows Meet - will enjoy this programme.
  
• Arts and Culture Focus Schools: Performance and Rehearsals: equips high-school learners with relevant skills and knowledge in order to make a meaningful contribution to the arts-and-culture economy. It covers live performance and rehearsals as well as event management. Learners with an interest in both music and events have been chosen from 10 different schools in the Cape Town city region and the programme runs in February and March this year.
  
• Arts and Culture Focus Schools: Careers in Event Management: has event management professionals share their experience and knowledge with young learners in special workshops for developing careers in event management. The workshops cover basic technical principles, hospitality, logistics, health and safety, security, compliance and marketing. On completion of the programme, learners complete an assignment with the most promising learners then selected to work over the festival weekend.
  
• Intyholo Jazz Development Project: is a workshop held in Gugulethu at the Ray Alexander Simons Memory Centre and is aimed at primary and high-school learners. Its focus is on music performance, arrangement and composition, and the music industry. It is facilitated by the Berklee College of Music, Camillo Lombard and international guest musicians.
  
• The Berklee College of Music in the USA: uses the CTIJF to recruit candidates from Africa. Auditions and interviews for young musicians are held the week before the festival begins. The college also offers a summer school scholarship to one of the Arts and Culture Focus Schools learners.
  
• A five-day Photographic Workshop: will give a select group of working photographers and photo-journalists access to the 2013 Jazz Fest performers both on and off stage. Participants enjoy an unprecedented opportunity to work under supervision as professional photographers with professional musicians and jazz aficionados. The workshop is facilitated by Peter McKenzie.
  
• Facilitated by leading arts journalist Gwen Ansell, the Arts Journalism Programme for qualified journalists, freelancer writers and journalism students is the longest running training initiative of the CTIJF. The week-long course is aligned to national journalism standards and ranked on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). This means that participants use the programme to build or add to a professional qualification. It has become one of the country's leading initiatives in raising arts journalism standards.
  
• The Music Business Workshop: develops business skills in the music industry. It also deals with changes in the industry, providing tools for up-and-coming business people to adapt and sustain their business. Hosted by Graeme Gilfillan and various industry professionals, the course covers various essential music business, and cutting-edge information.
  
• Jazz Master Classes for established musicians: concentrate on techniques and skills through various music dynamics, intermit discussions and interaction with jazz masters. The classes are facilitated by Camillo Lombard and presented by local and international artists. International and South African jazz stars from this year's line-up will also participate.
  
• The Fusion Master Classes: take the form of an informal panel discussion and an interactive platform for artists to share their professional and personal experiences with the public. The session covers a wide range of topics, including album sales, instrumentation and technology, networking and more. Members of the audience can ask the panel questions about living and working as music professionals. Here too, artists performing at this year's event will be involved.

The "Golf with a Cause Day" is another empowerment highlight of the annual festival. The event is held in support of the Caddie Foundation and has business and government leaders take to the course supported by some 60 individuals who are employed as caddies for the day. Four aspiring golfers will be selected from the group of caddies to play with the festival's golfing patrons and ply their sporting skills amongst the high-profile delegates. This year's golf day is taking place on Thursday, 4 April 2013.

The SABC will also sponsor four promising caddies from the Caddy Foundation at the CTIJF's annual golf day.

For more information on this year's event, go to www.capetownjazzfest.com.