Written by Bon bon
Photography by Nyiko Baloyi And Kagiso Phiri
If, by definition of the title, Hipnotik is anything to go by, my first trip to the Kingdom of Swaziland with the Emagazine First team (joined by other South African media) then the Hypnotik Youth Music Festival is one event which I am quite certain that myself and other individuals who witnessed this fine Swaziland outing, had a night none of us are soon to forget.
The stars of Swaziland shone new perspective not only to the
young and vibrant residents of the Kingdom, but also the Jo'burg team took home
quite some unforgettable experiences. Even days after the turn out of Hipnotik,
which was hosted at the famous House on Fire on July 6 2013, there's a string of
hypnosis still buzzing in my head.
Sakhile Nkambule who is the founder and director
of Swazi Jive (a professional fashion and entertainment enterprise) also heads
the Hipnotik Youth Music Festival together with other art-loving individuals,
and as friends, work together with their different skills to head projects such
as the ArtReach project.
ArtReach is a non-profit organization rooted in developing
fine arts in Swaziland and branching out to rest of the Southern parts of Africa.
Sakhile heads a team of 6 other members namely:
Lindelo Dlamini- Swazi Jive co-founder
Buhle Makhubu- Hipnotik Festival sponsorship manager
Mvuyo Nxumalo- Hipnotik Festival social media manager
Zwakele Hlanze- Hipnoyik Festival brand strategist
Thabiso Makhubu- Hipnoyik Festival South African media
manager
Zamahkubie Dlamini- Hipnotik Festival sponsorship manager
When
the young bloods from the Kingdom of Swaziland come out to play at night, they
support in vast numbers dressed like it’s a night of royalty; fashion show in
the latest trends and their hearts and arms
wide open in the air for local and international acts as they blazed the stage
through the cold breeze under the moonlight in an elegantly decorated open
space of House on Fire with colorful light décor, a comfortable VIP area, and
an indoor party area which was packed to the roof. House of
Fire has interesting Swaziland history sites both indoors and outdoors at the
venue. Hipnotik takes their stage set up seriously and local performers
were too eager to share their art to a point where their performances dragged
for minutes on end. The audience belted out more energy as the night went by and the South African artists too did not
disappoint.
The audience danced their money's worth as if there was a
musical spell in the air.
Although Hipnotik is a music festival catering for various
genres, hip hop seems to dominate each year. Last year South African top
rappers AKA and Khuli Chana headlined the stage with a bit of Kwaito flavor
topped by Big Nuz. In 2013, local artists Psycholusion, Tendaness, and Qibho
were joined by South African hip hop dancers The Repertoires, Kwesta, PRO, Red
Button, and Cashtime.
Quoted from Sakhile Nkambules blog: “ The Hipnotink Youth
Music Festival is an event aimed at celebrating the rapid growth of the hip hop
culture in Swaziland and the Southern African regions.” As one who can claim
witness to the magnitude of this idea, Hipnotik is not only a much needed
branch in extending the culture of arts in the Kingdom of Swaziland, but an aid
in assisting the change of perception of arts.
