STEYN DU TOIT
Traditional riel dancing meets cutting edge Afrikaans hip hop and spoken word poetry in Die Riel van die Hip Hop. Along the way there’s live music, breakdancing, vinyl scratching, graffiti and animation.
The result is a multi-sensory production that celebrates Afrikaans and those who speak it, while simultaneously opening up important dialogues around the past and present, culture and race, as well as language and identity.
The production first premiered at last year’s Suidooster Festival, and has since gone on to light fires at arts festivals across the country. Last month saw it walk away with the award for best music-driven production at the kykNET Fiëstas.
“Die Riel van die Hip Hop is a celebration of all that’s beautiful in our country’s diversity,” says Shihaam Domingo from The Domingo Effect, who produced the production.
“The viewer gets to experience it through the fusion of live music and dance, backed by the harshness of hip hop, before blending it all back into traditional riel.”
Youngsta, Hakkiesdraad Hartman, V.I.T.O
Directed by Elton Landrews and Lauren Hannie, the production features the talents of rapper Youngsta, visual/performance artist Hakkiesdraad Hartman, Okiep wordsmith V.I.T.O, Dr Willa Boezak, as well as actresses Zenobia Kloppers and Des-Lee McKenzie.
Under the musical direction of Camillo Lombard, Frazer Barry and DJ Ready D, the live band is made up of Donveno Prins (sax), Charlton Daniels (bass) and Mornay Hoffmeester (drums).
They’re joined by the champions of 2016’s ATKV Riel Dance Finals—Die Betjies van Betjiesfontein.
“There’s so much artistic expression going on on stage! What you witness is the result of an incredible journey we as cast and creatives have gone through in coming up with this show.
“We have a history of placing things into separate boxes in South Africa—whether according to race, language or even the type of music one enjoys. Bringing all these diverse artists together—from Cape Town to Namakwaland—and listening to everyone’s stories has been a profound experience.”
Who “owns” Afrikaans?
Given its often notorious reputation, convincing funders and festivals that a hip hop based show was a good idea initially proved tricky.
“Because there are so many negative stigmas around the genre today, it’s easy to forget that hip hop was born out of social inequality and despair. It became the voice of a disenfranchised generation.
“In addition, statistics show that it is the most popular genre in the world today. The artists featured in the show are making great strides in changing perceptions around hip hop, and specifically Afrikaans hip hop.”
The production also challenges perceptions around who “owns” Afrikaans.
“The concept of ownership is something I grapple with, and language is one of those things you can’t own. I realised this again when, after we launched the show last year, it was brought up that Cape Malay Afrikaans could have been represented stronger.
“Afrikaans has so many origin stories, with several river branches leading up to where we are today. When the language was first written down in Arabic here in Cape Town, there were other versions also being formed all over the country— from the Orange River to Namakwaland.
“We want to tell it all through this production.”
What: Die Riel van die Hip Hop, at US WOORDFEES 2018
Where: Stellenbosch Town Hall
When: 4 March at 11am and 3pm
To book: www.woordfees.co.za or Computicket.co.za
WS
