The 6th edition of the One Blood Festival will take place in Port Elizabeth on the 21st of March this year. One Blood Festival is a platform that seeks to unite people through music by bringing together musicians showcasing Hip Hop, Jazz and Reggae on the same stage.
The Festival has showcased a large number of Eastern Cape artists like Umle, Ras Melody, Jah Kongo, Take Note, Epic the scriptwriter to name a few. Last year it was headlined by Jean Grae and Autralian slam poet Champion Luka Lesson and this edition promises to be a banger!
Photo: Natasha Jasperson
This year will see the Jamaican born, California based, Son of the Soil, IQulah – an old friend of Wakhile Xhalisa the bassist of Azania Band – returning to South Africa to headline the Festival. He was last here in 2012 at the Bay Reggae Fest, alongside South African artists Black Dillinger, Lord Harmony, Ras Melody & Louie X. IQulah has performed in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Malawi and this will be his fourth show in South Africa. This time IQulah will not only be performing, he will also be connecting with the local Rastafari community and will take part in a discussion on Rastafari livity at the Rasta owned Timothy Valley Dancehall in Port Elizabeth.
Another reason to get excited about this festival is that Johannesburg based, SAMA nominee Sizwe ‘Reason’ Moeketsi will be performing at the One Blood Festival for the first time. This is one of South African finest MC in the game right now; he won’t only be performing, he will host a chilled chat: a discussion with local artists and a cypher and its a Free Session. He will record a track with Static Flo, a female Hip Hop emcee from Motherwell.
Another interesting mush up will be that of Lefa Mosea alongside Skank & The Roots. Lefa Mosea is a locally renowned Jazz composer and Saxophonist who plays with the band Take Note as well as his own band the Lefa Mosea and the Double standard quintet. He has formed a horn section with a trumpeter and trombone player, and they will play at the Festival with the Uitenhage based Roots Reggae band Skank and The Roots. The horn section will bring extra spice to the already dynamic set prepared by Skank & The roots – a Reggae band that only plays to original compositions.
One Blood Sound
The Nelson Mandela Bay based company One Blood Sound cc is the master mind behind the festival. They provide services in the fields of video production, event planning and management. One Blood has recently produced a 4 part documentary series for SABC entitled the new originals.
Click here for event details.
Tickets for the Festival are going for R80 and can be purchased through Computicket online, at any Shoprite or at the opera house. Tickets will also be available at the door for R100.