Some older generations believe that during apartheid, beer halls were strategically placed in the township to cause dysfunctionality in black family households.
Others, however, believe taverns played a significant role because that is where comrades would meet for caucuses and plan their next marches.
Thirty years into democracy in SA, many young people feel that there is an alcohol problem among black people and conversations need to be held amongst the youth by the youth. The members of Afrikanist Jazz band iPhupho L’ka Biko took it upon themselves to start a monthly session to do just this.
They are using their music to affect change and inspire young people to slow it down before it is too late.
The band, in partnership with The Forge, is hosting community shows fortnightly titled Amanzi Sessions: Love, Healing & Resistance, which are sessions addressing the ritualized mass consumption of alcohol in our communities. This is after the band members say they witnessed a rise in young people drowning in alcohol addiction.
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Band leader Nhlanhla Ngqaqu says after they heard a report about nine girls and 12 boys aged between 13 and 21 died at Enyobeni tavern, in the Eastern Cape, they decided enough was enough.
“13-year-olds frequent taverns and that’s the social state of young people in this country. The drinking culture/groove culture is used as an escape from our daily lived realities. To escape the disappointments brought forth by the democratic dispensation. It is also a personal story for the band, as the majority of the members are from these communities and have also fallen victim to alcohol in some way shape, or form,” says Nhlanhla.
The music sessions will also feature other artists outside the band, academics and activists too. The first session that happened in April at The Forge in Braamfontein featured economist, author, and former Talk show radio host Ayabonga Cawe to have an open discussion about how detrimental alcohol is and how it sets people back.
Nhlanhla says he has been making observations in the industry on how people, especially artists gets hooked on alcohol. With some artists, he says it starts with them getting booked and then getting free alcohol, which becomes the start of a very dark union with alcohol.
“For the aspect of it being personal, as a band or as an artist when you get booked you get hospitality rider. And out of the hospitality rider you get also to request alcohol, that’s how it starts. So, we know that there are other options on the menu apart from alcohol. In these sessions, we focus on love, healing, and resistance because that is all it takes to have discipline.”
This is not their first initiative they used their statue as an artist to be the voice for the voiceless. The band was also at the forefront during the Fees Must Fall March inspired by Steve Biko’s words: “You need to free your mind first before you can realise the freedom.”
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Nhlanhla says if there is no change of thinking, there is no way that things can change in our society.
“That’s the kind of covenant we have as a band. We want to conscientise the people in our community and to spiritually awaken because you learn that what happened in the African continent was to eradicate the connection that we have with God and our Ancestors was distorted.
“The interesting about alcohol and fees was that there were spaces where the ‘fallies’ would meet and most of those spaces would be alcohol spaces like Kitcheners. After a day of protesting, the ‘fallies’ would go to that place and deliberate about the way forward.”
They intend to expand these talks and invite more academics, Nhlanhla adds.
So far, young people attend in numbers and engage as spaces where love and healing are discussed and dissected are needed in society.
