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It was Collabeez' debut at this year's Reeperbahn Festival n Hamburg, St.Pauli (18. – 21. September 2024). As part of the Reeperbahn Festival Conference Board of Curators, we had the honor of curating four sessions and hosting a networking reception for decision-makers in the international music industry.
When selecting the topics we wanted to contribute to the programme, it quickly became clear to us where the journey should take us - to Southern Africa. This is where the music of the future is played, and it's time for new ways of working together. It was therefore important to us to create a programme that was as diverse as possible and would build bridges of communication between cultures and continents. In the end, the sessions became an entire theme strand including artist showcases (Bongeziwe Mabandla, Busiswa) and networking events that proudly represented the continent of Africa at the Reeperbahn Festival 2024.
Amapiano, Afrobeats, Kwaito... African beats have become increasingly popular in Europe in recent years: According to the IFPI Global Music Report Africa is the fastest growing music market with a growth rate of 24.7 per cent. And Germany is currently the sixth largest market for Afrobeat listeners. - Nevertheless, the connection to the music's countries of origin is still a long way off. This is mainly due to cultural and communicative differences, but also to the different ways of dealing with challenges and projects on local and international markets.
The panel 'Bridging The Gap! Connecting European Audiences with African Music Roots' brought together industry experts from different countries and professional backgrounds who provided valuable insights into their work processes and the importance of transparent collaboration models. They shed light on the different perspectives and challenges of communication between Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa and highlighted exciting opportunities for creating sustainable markets within the industry.
Host: Inès Ouqs [Artist, Creator, Model | Latfro Entertainment]
Speakers: Bongeziwe Mabandla [Artist]
Namakau Socika [Artist, Co-Owner ARMC]
Luyanda Mafiyana [Founder Selective Live / Selective City ]
Partners: BLACK MAJOR
During our panel discussion ‘Broken Systems, Bold Sounds - South Africa's Musical Resistance’, our moderator Inès Ouqs asked questions from a European perspective and led the conversation with our industry experts. Together, they explored what it means to be a successful South African artist in the international music industry and how local influences shape their path. Key insights included the challenges in terms of training and funding for young artists, where South Africa still offers little support.
Host: Inès Ouqs [Artist, Creator, Model | Latfro Entertainment]
Speakers: Busiswa [Artist]
Carlos Wind [ Latfro Entertainment]
Sarah Jane Nicholson [ARMC | Paradise Worldwide]
Dako Costa [Ou4Fame | Paradise]
Partners: Africa Rising Music Conference, Paradise Worldwide
In unserer Session „Unleashing Potential – Southern Africa's Music Market for Explosive Growth“ teilten unsere faszinierenden Speaker.innen ihre Perspektiven zu Markttrends in Südafrika sowie die Herausforderungen und Chancen, die sowohl die lokale als auch die globale Musikindustrie prägen. Sevi Spanoudi, Director von Black Major South Africa, brachte dabei u.a. wichtige Faktoren zu den Visabarrieren auf, die südafrikanische Künstler:innen von internationalen Bühnen fernhalten.
Host: Namakau Socika [Artist, Co-Owner ARMC]
Speakers: Sevi Spanoudi [Director BLACK MAJOR]
Luyanda Mafiyana [Founder Selective Live / Selective City ]
Partners: Africa Rising Music Conference, BLACK MAJOR
In the deep dive interview ‘Creating Diaspora Trends For Global And Local Audiences’, Suhel Nafar, Head of Empire WANA, not only shared his expertise on the WANA region (West Asia and North Africa) with host Shari Who, but also talked about the importance of celebrating and sharing diaspora. He touched us all with personal stories from his home country of Palestine and shared how West Coast Hip Hop shaped his youth there. Even with heavy topics, the room was filled with laughter.
Host: Shari Who [Dj/Artist]
Speakers: Suhel Nafar [Head of Empire WANA]
Partners: EMPIRE
Our B2B networking reception „Deep In The Roots – A Glance at African Music Trends“ brought together delegates and artists working in both local and global markets. Over delicious snacks and refreshing drinks, our participants had the opportunity to exchange ideas, make new contacts and gain exciting insights into the diversity of African music genres.
Hosted by Collabeez & Out Of Order Hamburg.
In connection with the conference programme, some wonderful showcase bookings have been made for the public festival programme. These included the South African Breakthrough Artist Bongeziwe Mabandla (Black Major) and The Majesty Busiswa (ARMC/Paradise Worldwide). Both artists played to packed club rooms in St Pauli, Hamburg on Saturday night.
Curation & Project Management – Deborah Liebzeit
Photos & Videos - David Czinczoll
Graphic Design - Manu de Assis
