Smoke J's blues connection!

THE stage is set for the Motherland International Blues and Jazz Festival.

This year's event will be held in Naledi, Soweto, on 27 October and promises to be a unique celebration of music, culture and heritage.

The festival aims to create a vibrant platform for emerging talent and established artists.

Some of the artists billed for the festival include Smoke J Lawrence, King Don (SZ), the Soweto Family Band, Nkosazana Mashinini, the Sawubona Music Jam Band, Ian King, Temba Msomi, the Simunye Theatrical Faces and Tshepo JR Mokoena, featuring Lindo Summer.

Smoke J Lawrence spoke to Daily Sun about the festival.

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He said they are excited about the talented young artists coming through who haven't had the blues platform before.

"I started a movement called the Smoke Train Movement in 2019, whose aim is to give artists the experience of the blues. At many festivals, there were often a few non-whites, and I saw an issue with that. We decided to bring it to ekasi," Smoke J said.

"This is history in the making. I'll be performing my music and what I like is that people can relate to it. My songs are about real-life issues, relationships, break-ups, different scenarios and healing. It's also about connecting with people's stories."

However, the festival is not only about music. It carries an important message, with its hashtag campaign: #NoManBluesGoesHungry.

Smoke J explained the vision: "We want to have festivals throughout Africa, creating opportunities for blues musicians to play every week in different venues. We don't have to go to Europe, America or Asia anymore. We don't have to leave our continent, we can survive and thrive off our music right here. That's our mission and goal."