Zakes Bantwini celebrates the evolution of Afrohouse and Afrotech through his Mayonie Festival at Constitution Hill.
South Africa is seen as the world capital of dance music. Be it amapiano, gqom and now Afrohouse and Afrotech.
However, despite Mzansi’s lead in the genre, South Africans don’t fully take ownership of the sound.
“We have to claim the space, if we don’t claim the space someone else will,” producer and performer Zakes Bantwini tells The Citizen.
“It nearly happened with amapiano, you remember when there was a fight with Nigerians. It happened because South Africans were not travelling and people [from outside] were taking the music to the world.”
Bantwini practices what he preaches through playing South African music when he deejays in different parts of the world and South Africa.
He is doing this at home in November, by celebrating the evolution of Afrohouse and Afrotech through his Mayonie Festival, at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg.
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Owning the sound
He cited how some amapiano artists don’t do interviews with the media, saying this also hinders South Africans’ ownership of the genre because someone else will tell stories about it.
“How then are we going to make sure that we document the story of amapiano if you as the pioneers of amapiano don’t document it, because there’s gonna be someone whose gonna document this on your behalf.”
“Everything that needs to happen, it needs to be done by us. In four years, as a South African you saw Black Coffee, Zakes and Tyla receiving Grammys within four years. That needs to tell you that this is ours.”
Afrohouse and Afrotech are subgenres of house music that originated in South Africa. Afrotech is a subgenre of Afrohouse that incorporates techno influences, while Afrohouse combines traditional African rhythms and vocals with house music for a more traditional sound.
Bantwini says Afrohouse and Afrotech are appreciated by the global community more than amapiano, as Africans mostly appreciate the latter in the diaspora.
“I think the difference between Afrotech and amapiano, is that amapiano is really enjoyed more by people in the diaspora. Hence every time you travel the world, maybe 70% of your audience will be Africans.”
“The difference with Afrotech and Afrohouse when you’re there [overseas] you find the locals and just a bit of people coming from Africa,” he shares.
He makes an example of how currently, Black Coffee and DJ Shimza, leaders in Afrotech and Afrohouse, are dominating in Ibiza with residencies of about four months in the European warm season.
“Every week, there is a South African headlining in playing Afrotech and Afrohouse in Spain for Spanish people and other people from Europe. That’s where the difference is.”
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Mayonie festival
Named after his grandmother, Sarafina Mayonie Madida, the festival is also the name of his record company, Mayonie Productions.
In 2023, Bantwini hosted the Abantu festival in Cape Town, and in 2024, he hosted Sikelela at Constitution Hill.
“The idea has never been to change names; the idea was to retain the very same name. My partners from those festivals, we have decided to go our separate ways and I’m just doing my own thing now,” said Bantwini.
Unlike some of the previous events he has hosted, this one will have a strictly Afrotech and Afrohouse line-up, without performers from other genres.
Confirmed performers include B3B and former one-half of Black Motion, Mörda or Murdah Bongz.
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Accessibility
Mayonie will have an elevated general ticket which is an exclusive upgrade allowing general access guests to experience what happens backstage.
“Everyone is important, every ear is important and the experience of the music is important to us. Someone in the general section needs to hear and experience the festival at the highest level.”
The festival will have immersive staging, layered sound design and interactive spaces that give attendees a deeper connection to the music and its story.
This special vantage point places attendees directly behind the performing DJ or artist, offering a unique, up-close connection to the music.
“That’s what we wanted for our people, to enjoy and things that are usually kept away from them solely because they can’t afford to experience a festival at that level” says the producer.
He said he decided to host the concert at Constitution Hill because there isn’t a venue like it in the world.
“I wanted to do an event in a venue that has history…a venue that has a certain look and feel, because of the stage design we’re also trying to achieve,” he said.
“We wanted something in the city; we wanted someone to take a taxi from the township to be able to attend, even when heading back home they should be able to go to the nearest taxi rank.”
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