{"id":95745,"date":"2015-08-15T00:08:29","date_gmt":"2015-08-14T22:08:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=95745"},"modified":"2015-08-14T21:09:40","modified_gmt":"2015-08-14T19:09:40","slug":"inside-oppikoppi-south-africas-biggest-music-festival-in-pictures","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/lifestyle\/95745\/inside-oppikoppi-south-africas-biggest-music-festival-in-pictures\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside Oppikoppi: South Africa’s biggest music festival in pictures"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Africa has seen an explosion of music festivals and music award shows. One that has stood the test of time is Oppikoppi<\/a> which is in its 21st year, making it one of the longest-running music festivals in the country.<\/p>\n

When Oppikoppi started it represented the music interest of a minority ethnic group – white South Africans. But since then it has come to reflect the diverse tastes of South Africans at large, appealing to audiences from many ethnic and regional backgrounds. The festival has come to represent the aspirations of a generation which embraces the diversity of the country\u2019s people and their respective music.<\/p>\n

Over the past two decades, the festival has grown substantially to become one of the biggest and most popular in the country.<\/p>\n

Music acts at Oppikoppi are representative of the evolution of a democratic dispensation in South Africa. It holds on to the musical memories of the past and is proactive in providing a musical map towards the future. This year the performers range from older, well-established musicians like Johnny Clegg<\/a> and Karen Zoid<\/a> to styles such as choral music which is enjoyed by the majority of South Africans.<\/p>\n

Oppikoppi is clearly dedicated to bringing audiences of all dispositions together in the name of music. The festival provides a taste of what some festival-goers have interpreted as a \u201ctruly South African culture\u201d not marred by rancorous divisions and political factions.<\/p>\n

\"Oppikoppi<\/a>

Oppikoppi takes place on a massive private farm near Northam in Limpopo<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The camping grounds, affectionately called “Mordor” is a wilderness of dust and thorns. Many festival goers believe this to be the ‘authentic’ Oppi experience. For the soft targets, there are tent ‘hotels’.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The festival draws diverse crowds from all walks of life – brought into an even playing field with one thing in common: they’re all covered in dust.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The festival has plenty of food on offer for those who prefer to eat out rather than deal with the logistics of self-catering in the dust.<\/p><\/div>\n

The festival\u2019s evolution<\/h3>\n

\u201cOppikoppi\u201d is a colloquialism derived from the Afrikaans<\/a> phrase \u201cop die koppie\u201d, which translates directly to \u201con the hill\u201d. Hosted annually over three days in the second week of August on a private farm in the Limpopo province in northern South Africa, Oppikoppi had its beginnings as the \u201cOppikoppi Festival of Rock\u201d. As the title suggests, it had a focus primarily on rock music. It was a single stage with about 27 acts performing to an audience of about 400 people.<\/p>\n

Today, the festival boasts about 150 acts across seven fixed stages that play host to a huge range of music genres. Jazz, blues, ska, hip-hop, kwaito<\/a>, electro, drum \u2018n bass, metal, traditional, folk and so-called world music are performed to an ever-diversifying crowd of approximately 20 000 people.<\/p>\n

Historically, the predominant demographic of the festival was white, mostly Afrikaans, youth. While this is still largely the case, the event\u2019s immense growth and the styles of performers it has to offer has made it much more accessible to a culturally diverse audience.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The koppi which the festival is named after sees a lot of foot traffic as thousands of festival goers brave the climb – and decent<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Despite<\/a>

Despite the dust and the browness of it all, the region provides some beautiful visuals still.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"There<\/a>

There are toilets and even showers available, though you will have to hope you catch them at the right time of day for the cleanest session. Most festival goers opt to skip the shower and revel in the dust (you’re just going to be dusty again later, anyway).<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Every<\/a>

Every year the festival hosts a naked run, for those brave men and women who seek freedom, and don’t mind baring all for a cheering crowd<\/p><\/div>\n

Over the years, a huge range of uniquely local music have been showcased. From Afrikaans folk heroes like Koos Kombuis<\/a> and Valiant Swart<\/a> to well-established African folk and jazz legends Madala Kunene<\/a>, Vusi Mahlasela<\/a> and Hugh Masekela<\/a>. It has also included local rock heroes Springbok Nude Girls<\/a> and Fokofpolisiekar<\/a>, to name just a few.<\/p>\n

With its humble beginnings as a small gathering of local artists, Oppikoppi now attracts a growing number of international acts from around the globe. The festival brings in some of the biggest names in contemporary music. Recent years have seen bands such as Eagles of Death Metal, Deftones, Wolfmother and Cat Power grace the Koppi stage.<\/p>\n

A diverse range of music acts and performance styles are once again included this year: from the debauched, high-energy theatricality of US-based Gypsy punk outfit Gogol Bordello<\/a> to the low-key psychedelic minimalism of local electro guru, Felix Laband<\/a>. Bordello and Laband should present a dramatic contrast to other bands which might appeal more to a middle of the road audience.<\/p>\n

An expanding repertoire<\/h3>\n

In 2012 the Oppikoppi team announced that it would be organising a concert in Cape Town called One Night in Cape Town<\/a>. This features the headlining acts of the festival, mostly international artists.<\/p>\n

The festival also has a YouTube channel<\/a> featuring interviews with bands, interviews with festival goers, and live streaming of performing artists, with views into the tens of thousands. Audience members have also contributed to the channel which provides a substantial number of videos of music acts as well as their experiences.<\/p>\n

Its focus is no longer exclusively on music. A number of stand-up comedy acts and other on-the-ground performance artists are also hosted.<\/p>\n

As for its future, Oppikoppi has to compete with the range of other festivals in the country. But its longevity, growing appeal and increasing audiences are an indication that it has become a major event on the music calendar for new generations of audiences. This means it should continue into the distant future.<\/p>\n

\"Festival<\/a>

Festival goers find creative ways to wait out the hours between bands<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The main stage draws the biggest crowds and often puts on the best light shows as international artists perform<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The festival has expanded to have seven stages, featuring a wide range of music styles and artists<\/p><\/div>\n

\"The<\/a>

The original Oppi stage still draws massive crowds<\/p><\/div>\n

[Images by BusinessTech]<\/p>\n

By Lee Watkins,\u00a0Head of Department and senior lecturer in Ethnomusicology at Rhodes University<\/em><\/p>\n