Mbali Mbatha
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Having written music for a collaborative group assembled by Alan Webster for the jazz programme in 2025, Gabi Motuba is returning to the National Arts Festival this year with the premiere of her project titled Sounds from a Black Girl.
The University of the Western Cape academic fellow, educator at the Wits School of Arts and 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz will be unveiling her own band and compositions she has been working on since the beginning of the year.
An established artist with vast international and local festival experience, Motuba views the National Arts Festival as a home for vanguard artists on a quest for an inclusive platform for their experimental music.
The universal language of music being so multi-dimensional that even popular music exists in an array of layers, Motuba is not oblivious to the festival’s openness to artistry that is “unwelcome” in everyday spaces.
“There is an urge for people to classify me as a jazz artist but what is jazz, especially in a South African context where things like our history, the narrative of women ... of the black woman and the narrative of space and safety have to be taken into consideration?”
She believes the definition and categorisation of jazz need to evolve, requiring a shift that can only be achieved by posing these and other questions to festivals and other platforms that curate high-quality music of a certain genre.
Accolades such as the Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz create certain expectations.
“Winning the [award] doesn’t exonerate anyone from the responsibility of investing time and effort in the craft,” she said.
“There are these negotiations that I have to think about and also incorporate.”
With the National Arts Festival just weeks away, Motuba says the writing process and other aspects of her preparation have been rigorous.
She describes herself as pedantic about the work she produces, adding that working with artists that she respects offers her a form of grace.
Rapport matters to Motuba and she has chosen to collaborate with industry colleagues with whom she has previously worked.
Her band includes Cape Town-based classical guitarist Reza Khota, who featured in her previous project, and cellist Carol Williams, who also hails from the Mother City.
Zimbabwean bassist Joshua Nemaire, who featured in her 2023 Cape Town tour, and an emerging flute player from Pretoria will also be in the band, which she refers to as an eclectic configuration.
Earlier in the interview, Motuba mentioned the cello when speaking about her appearance at last year’s festival.
Her fondness for the instrument is evident when she reintroduces it into the conversation.
“It’s such a beautiful sound, and I just always find a way to slot it in. I’m always thinking that it has got to be there somewhere,” she said.
Motuba is looking forward to the performances of her fellow Standard Bank Young Artist winners as well as the discussion panels at the festival, saying she finds these to be informative about global trends.
A concern was raised in these discussions a few years ago by a young artist from Soweto who could not identify himself in either the offerings at the Soweto Theatre or the occupants of its auditorium.
Motuba called for the incorporation of local nuances and conversations in the arts, as opposed to importing talent, saying the international community was already welcoming of South African artistry.
Daily Dispatch
