Too much freedom is fabulous
Last weekend OppiKoppi shook the South African music scene again, and became the leading cause of a few fragile heads today.
From 7 to 9 August the bushveld farm just shy of the town of Northam, Limpopo, came alive again to celebrate two decades of OppiKoppi – South Africa, and the southern hemisphere’s largest music festival.
Highlights this year included performances by Springbok Nude Girls, Hugh Masakela, aKing, Van Coke Kartel and international headliners Editors and Wolfmother.
Inbetween dust, clouds of marijuana smoke and bushveld fires, up-and-coming bands, DJs and jovial (or in most cases drunk) festival-goers explored the freedom that is OppiKoppi.
The festival shares its birth year with this country’s first democratic election, and the festival has become a microcosm of South Africa. No, not only young, white and Afrikaans people attend. You’ll see grey beards, and families spanning up to three generations. Spend an hour at the festival and you’ll meet as many black, coloured, Indian and Chinese people as you would Afrikaners. Proof that the festival has grown into something that offers something for everybody, quite a feat considering the music selected needs to cater to all.
It is also impressive to see how people seem to become more authentic versions of themselves – albeit due to a little Dutch Courage: the accountant losing count of how many drinks he’s had, the city dweller embracing dirt. Girls go without shampooed hair. The festival just turns life upside down, and that is the magic of it all.
The magic might also come from listening to artists like Hugh Masakela, and realising life really is not as treacherous as you might think.
OppiKoppi 2014 have come and gone, and considering how many people already started lining up to buy their 2015 ticket, fabulous freedom will no doubt again be celebrated.
