By chance I was chatting to Wayne Barton, he is the owner of the cottage that we go to at Mdumbi, and he happened to mention the Mdumbi Green Fair Music Festival. He is the main organiser of the event. My ears pricked up and I immediately volunteered Matt and my services. I love photographing events. Firstly it provided an excuse to go visit my favourite place in South Africa and secondly it would give us an opportunity to help promote the event and thereby help the local community and the Transcape NPO project. I feel that the place gives me so much that any form of help from my side would be a tiny payback in return. You can read all about the festival here. Apart from the event having the most unbelievable setting right on the Mdumbi point, the organisers had done an awesome job of creating a perfect environment for the event. There were so many amazing things going on such as the local ladies doing all the cooking and providing the festival goers with tasty food(not outside caterers), bands planting their own trees, local acts been given the chance to perform, the rehabilitation garden, the event being kept as green as possible, and many more. What was so amazing to see was the band members interacting with the fans and instead of heading straight for the VIP area they instead went and danced with the fans who were watching the other bands perform or just hung out on the grass embankments and soaked it all in. In fact the VIP area was a bit of a waste as it was almost always empty. There were no heirs and graces and “do you know who I am” but instead everyone was there for the same reason and that was to support this local project and to have a good time with everyone else. Matt and I worked some long hours but it was all worth it. We managed to stay an extra day after the event and captured some incredible landscape images. That blog will follow soon.
The day we arrived we were exhausted from the drive but I also had the feeling that we had to make the most of every moment. Matt and I went out to capture the stars and were blown away by the sheer magnitude of the clear, night sky. There was the tiniest of slither of moon and the air was free from any dirt. This is the Milky Way at about 7pm in the evening. Where on earth can you see the Milky Way so clearly so soon after sunset? The next few nights just weren’t the same so this was clearly a sign that we needed to take advantage of every precious moment.
You would also be smiling and excited if you were just arriving. The place looked beautiful.
Winner of the first season of The Voice in South Africa, Richard Stirton. He was a big hit with the festival goers.
The Kiffness with his unique style of dress, music and performance. He is really talented and a great entertainer.
Chane working hard with the rehabilitation garden. Her passion, commitment, knowledge and enthusiasm for this project was quite inspirational. The bands were so keen to get their hands dirty and get involved and I’m sure it was due to her enthusiasm.
What an unbelievable setting.
Matt Carstens was a standout for me as he really enjoyed performing(he performed twice over the weekend) and when he wasn’t on stage then he was dancing with everyone else. He seemed to love the festival and soaked it all up, every minute.
The local Xhosa people demonstrating the art of stick fighting.
The poet NKQO captivating everyone with his powerful performance.
Matt Carstens reaching out to fans of all ages.
The local ladies keeping everyone happy with their delicious food. They worked really hard.
Dum Chang wowing the crowds with their enthusiastic performance.
The sun starting to set on the first day of the event with the promise of an exciting evening ahead.
I told you all the bands were excited to plant a tree and contribute to the rehabilitation of the forest and the newly established garden.
The guitarist from Trenton & Free Radical
A pulled back view of the stage area with Richard Stirton performing.
Yannick from Native Young blowing up!
The new(1 week old) drummer for Dum Chang. Imagine learning the band’s entire repertoire in less than a week. What a talent.
Dum Chang getting everyone dancing.
I am still singing Can of Worm’s Rollercoaster. They have some unique and original songs which I thoroughly enjoyed. Great entertainers.
Can of Worms lighting up on stage.
Trenton and Free Radical going green at the Mdumbi Green Fair
People enjoying the relaxed vibe and the awesome entertainment on stage.
Trenton and Free Radical playing to a rainbow nation.
Easy Freak headlining on the first night and delivering an amazing performance. The smile says it all.
Although this group of friends were getting a cell phone pic I took advantage as it summed up the beautiful glow of togetherness at this unique festival.
The Kiffness busting out the tunes.
Another beautiful sunset from Mdumbi point.
The guitarist from Moonga K
The crowds loving the music and setting.
Moonga K was really good. I enjoyed the lyrics and he had a strong and clear voice and wasn’t afraid to test his vocal abilities.
Native Young entertaining the crowds.
Can of Worms with their unique style and performance.
Phat Man and The Blueberry Jam had some amazing songs and they loved to perform on stage delivering a strong set.
Can of Worms were a big hit and for good reason.
Richard Stirton
The guitarist from Richard Stirton’s band.
Fans loving Richard Stirton’s performance.
Richard Stirton in black and white.
The Kiffness and his amazing musical talents.
Catherine Grenfell mixing up her set with some old and new classics. She really gets caught up in the music which is amazing to see.
