Leomile Motsetsela
Mohalenyane Phakela
LOCAL songstress, Leomile “Leo” Motsetsela, is billed to perform at the sixth edition of the South African Jammin ‘N Ting (J&T) festival to be held in Naledi Village, Ficksburg from 3 to 6 April.
The J&T festival is a music and art fete held annually during the Easter holiday. In its sixth year running, the festival is meant to promote the best of African and African inspired music in a rural setting.
According to the event organisers, the name comes from the lyrics of a classic reggae tune by the old school Jamaican duo of Althea & Donna which simply means partying and having a good time. Deejays, poets, musicians and crafters are among the slew of artistes set to showcase their talent at the three-day festival.
In an interview with the Weekender this week, the ecstatic songbird said she was more than ready to rise to the occasion in what she described as “an experience of a lifetime”.
“It is hard to find words which can describe how I feel at the moment, as this will be my first time at J&T and my second performance at a festival,” Leo said.
“There is a certain vibe about festivals that gives new context to my music. I think J&T will contribute positively towards the development of my career by giving me the unique experience of performing at a festival held in the middle of nowhere, and also develop my craft as every performance does.”
She described her brand of music as “one big stew of Afro Soul and Folk influenced by a bit of Country music and alternative sound”, adding that the festival would afford her the opportunity to showcase her unique sound.
According to Leo, her biggest challenge at the moment is being forced to be her own manager, saying it was not easy to do the administrative work while also having to focus on the creative side.
However, she remains upbeat about the trajectory her career is taking, declaring that the sky is her only limit.
She will be foraying to Ficksburg with fellow compatriots Morena Leraba, Hymphatic Thabs, Lakzen and Ragga Vybz who have performed at the festival before.
The Lesotho contingent will share the stage with an array of artists with the likes of United Kingdom’s Afrogroove, Tonebone from Holland, Zetina Mosia from Ghana, Tripfabrik from Germany and South Africa’s NickyB Kaya billed to perform. Other South African artistes on the line up also include Fly Machine Sessions, Azah, DJ Okapi, DJ Blaq, Josh Kat and A-FRYK-YA among others.
Also speaking to the Weekender this week, Lesotho’s premier reggae movement Ragga Vybz said they were looking forward to performing at the festival and ready to blow the multitudes, expected to attend the J&T festival, away once again.
“We are looking forward to using this platform that we have, once again, been given as it gives us the opportunity to interact and forge relationships with artistes from South Africa and the world,” the group said.
“For instance, we met Johannesburg-based dancehall deejay, Fanta Jozi, at J&T and managed to convince her to perform at the Summa Mash Up festival we host every December.
“Such interactions will help showcase what the local music scene has to offer to other nations.”
This year’s edition of the J&T will also include a host of activities such as the screening of short films and documentaries from indie and student film-makers from around the world. Drumming workshops and sight-seeing are some of the activities to look forward to as well.
Naledi Village is located at the foothills of the Maluti Mountains, providing a hard-to-forget backdrop to the entire festival experience and allowing guests to visit nearby caves.
