#MyRadioPeople : Gagasi FM’s Nolwazi Magwaza

Posted by Sandy Nene on Jul 21st, 2017

“A lover of all things awesome” is how this week’s personality would describe herself. Nolwazi is a Public Relations graduate who ended up in the radio industry simply because she is a chatterbox. NolwaziRead more about as she shares her radio story below.

Why radio? Funny enough there is no answer for this, radio found me, never in my wildest dreams thing I think something I had no intention of doing could make me so happy.

Which other radio stations have you worked at? I have worked at radio DUT for about 4 months and East Coast Radio for three years.

Did you study radio? No, I studied Public Relations at DUT, I constantly talk a lot and I am very loud and bold, lol I guess I landed the job because I came across as a radio head.

Besides Radio, which other side projects are you currently busy with or are involved in? I do PR work, for Versfeld & Associates, MC every Thursday at Urban Cafe On Point and MC gigs.

Who is your South African Radio Icon? Anele Mdoda is my jam.

What can we expect from you in the next 5 years? Prime time baby…[laughs]…that and lots more growth which you will see soon.

How often do you listen to other radio stations and which radio stations do you usually listen to? Not very much, Gagasi FM keeps me updated with my traffic and news and of course great personalities and music, which is my fav, I do listen to Metro at times.

What has working on radio taught you? Be humble, do you, work hard and always remember you can be replaced in a second.

What advice can you give to aspiring radio broadcasters? Knock and send those demo’s until the very end, and once you are there, remain humble, work hard and be you at all times, just be you, believe me, everyone will fall in love with you.

Experience Soulful Sounds On A House Beat By Soulistic Music’s Soulstar

Posted by Sandy Nene on Jul 20th, 2017

Talented musician; singer/songwriter Soulstar has finally dropped his much anticipated debut album titled Back to Soul Experience after the success of his 2016 EP, Back To Soul.

Back To Soul Experience is a fusion a soulful house and afro-pop and features a number of industry heavyweights, the likes of Heavy K, Mampintsha, Da Capo, Black Motion and Tumi among many others.

The first single off this album is I Can Feel It and features Tumi, a beautiful lovesong. Many will remember Soulstar from Black Coffee’s 2011 Africa Rising offering with the lead single You Rock My World. A brilliant songwriter who has contributed in a number of big artists’ music, the likes of Shana, Demor, Lira, Black Coffee, Culoe De Song and Nhlanhla Nciza.

Back to Soul Experience, is a dance album with the flavour of each featured artist blended into one Soulstar masterpiece.

Exploring Inanda’s Hidden Gems With WOWZULU

Posted by Sandy Nene on Jul 19th, 2017

‘Mr President, I have come to report to you that South Africa is now free.’ Nelson Mandela at the grave of John Langalibalele Dube, First President of the ANC, after voting at Ohlange in South Africa’s first Democratic Elections on 27 April 1994.

Tasting MaMtshali’s UMQOMBOTHI

On Mandela Day, 18 July 2017, about 50 tourism stakeholders and bloggers headed into the Inanda Valley, to get a sense of how community-based tourism development can ignite a local economy and create income for rural entrepreneurs here, in the cradle of South Africa’s democracy.

WOWZULU Responsible Tourism, an initiative of rural development agency Africa!Ignite and partners, has discovered a wealth of ‘hidden gems’ in this vibrant semi-urban community: places to eat, drink, hear music, view art, engage with friendly locals to share stories, experience local culture, learn new skills or get active on the valley’s trails and waters.

All this adds vibrancy and local colour to the Inanda Heritage Route with its proud historical sites, where the seeds of South Africa’s democracy were sown.

The WOWZULU Marketplace at the historic Ohlange Institute is the perfect starting point for any exploration of Inanda, as tourists’ gateway and warm welcome in the valley. This is where the Mandela Day ‘educational’ experience started, with story-telling and an opportunity to view local art and craft.

From there, we got a taste of the wealth of vibrant community life, history and natural attractions of the Inanda Valley: A tour of the JL Dube Heritage site under the guidance of the highly knowledgeable Mandla Nxumalo; a neighbourhood walk through a village along winding roads and hillsides;

Then a visit to a picturesque rural homestead of Ma Mtshali in the hills of Umzinyathi above the valley, to try their hand at beadwork and for an introduction to Zulu culture.

For our 67 minutes of community service on this Mandela Day, we handed over 67 vegetable seedlings to Ma Mtshali as the start of a sustainable food garden

Ended the day off for lunch at Ohlange Rocks Junction with its vast views across the coastline below.

Durban FilmMart Awards 2017

Posted by Sandy Nene on Jul 19th, 2017

The Durban FilmMart (DFM), the industry development programme of the eThekwini Municipality’s Durban Film Office and Durban International Film Festival (Centre for Creative Arts, UKZN) ended on a high note with an awards ceremony at the Tsogo Maharani Hotel in Durban, South Africa on Monday, July 17.

“The DFM is one of the most important film finance platforms and industry events on the African continent, and this year’s eighth edition has certainly been our biggest.” said Toni Monty, Head of the Durban Film Office. “We hosted over 600 delegates with over 30 countries participating in this year’s market; 17 of which were from Africa. We are thrilled that we have had a record number of 70 projects presenting at this year’s finance forum.”

Central to the Durban FilmMart have been the networking sessions and meetings held over four days between delegates comprising filmmakers, producers, distributors, agents, broadcasters and film funders and government agencies.

“Our annual programme would not be possible without our partners and sponsors, and we extend thanks and appreciation to the partner markets, funding bodies and development organisations who have continued to work with us in bringing African cinema to the world, and enabling us to expand the number of projects participating in the forums.”

This year 22 official DFM film projects in development were presented at the Finance Forum through the partnership with Cinemart and IDFA, Netherlands.

Durban Talents was able to host 30 young filmmakers through the support by Berlinale Talents, the Goethe-Institut and the German Embassy.

Four scriptwriters projects were hosted at the DFM in the Realness Script Writing Residency, while Produire au Sud, France, supported the Jumpstart Project, a mentorship programme to introduce six emerging filmmakers to the art of the pitch. Two documentary projects were supported by Hot Docs Canada, and six CineFam projects were rigorously mentored by Caribbean Tales, Canada.

“The Durban FilmMart was made possible by our principal funder, the eThekwini Municipality, and we are privileged to have the ongoing support of a City government that recognises, supports and promotes the value of our industry, and understands the importance of providing African filmmakers a platform to connect with the world, and, importantly, to connect with African filmmakers throughout the continent.”

“Together with partners, NFVF, KZN Film Commission, and Department of Trade and Industry, we hosted three co-production delegations this year from Canada, Germany and Kenya, and special thanks go to the Canadian High Commission, the German Embassy and Kenya Film Commission for supporting these programmes.”

“This year we were able to host a vigorous Women Led Film Focus together with the DIFF, through the support of MNET and NFVF, as well as support from the Industrial Development Corporation for a insightful “Film Finance: State of the Industry”.”

The Awards/Grants:

The International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam (IDFA) awarded the most promising documentary project at the DFM, Lobola: A Bride’s True Price (South Africa, Producer: Sarah Basyouny, Director: Sihle Hlophe)with an opportunity to attend the IDFA Forum, one of the top gatherings for documentary filmmakers, producers, commissioning editors, funds, private financiers and other documentary filmmakers in Europe, in November.
The broadcast stream, Afridocs, that flights African and other international documentaries across 49 countries of sub-Saharan Africa on a weekly basis, gave a €3000 grant to Uasi (Kenya), Producers: Matrid Nyagah, Linda Ogeda, Director: Sam Soko.
The CineMart Award, sponsored by the co-production market of the International Film Festival Rotterdam, went to the fiction project, Miles from Nowhere(South Africa), Producer: Bongiwe Selane, Director: Samantha Nell. The project is given an opportunity to attend the Rotterdam Lab, is a five-day training and networking event for producers from all over the world.
Produire au Sud of Festival des 3 Continents (Nantes), awarded the fiction film Miles from Nowhere (South Africa), Producer: Bongiwe Selane, Director: Samantha Nell an opportunity to attend its developmental workshop program, PAS, where they will be given tools, expertise, and opportunities to develop European networks.
Videovision Entertainment awarded the “Best South African Film Project” to the Dabulaphu (The Short Cut), Producers Zikethiwe Ngcobo, David Max Brown, Director Norman Maake. They receive a prize valued at R75 000, which guarantees its release once it is completed. The prize also includes marketing and distribution support from Videovision Entertainment.
Versfeld & Associates, publicity consultants will develop publicity material and advise on publicity profiling through the development two projects: Womxn: Working(South Africa), Producer Tiny Mungwe and Director Shanelle Jewnarain, and Richard Was Here (South Africa), Producer: Akona Matyila and Director: Jack Chiang.
Sørfond awarded the project Uasi (Kenya), Producers: Matrid Nyagah, Linda Ogeda, Director: Soko Sam with an opportunity to pitch at the Sørfond Pitching Forum in Oslo later this year.
CineFAM-Africa Incubator Accelerator Programme award to pitch at the Caribbean Tales Film Festival in Toronto, went to Mary Ann Mandishona for Mamba Kazi – African Warrior Queens.

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