Issue 33
Music to Your Ears
The 11th MTN Bushfire music and culture festival in Swaziland to attract scores of international and local artists in May 2017 to this iconic event
By Jo Kromberg  ·  2017-02-06  ·   Source:

MTN Bushfire, named Africa's Top Festival by the BBC, and known as one of the most inclusive and diverse festivals in the world, is entering its second decade with its commitment to the arts, the environment, and social change even stronger than ever.

Every year around 25,000 music fans from across the globe gather in the scenic Malkerns Valleys of Swaziland to experience the internationally acclaimed event. More than simply a music festival, MTN Bushfire is a holistic experience made up of a rich texture of arts, cultures, crafts, food and people, carefully curated into specialized zones, to create an explosive three day event and a memorable take-home, family-friendly experience.

Celebrated for its uniquely African yet global offering, the MTN Bushfire Festival line-up this year will once again include some of Africa's top artists, as well as a host of artists from across the world. For the upcoming 11th edition in 2017, taking place on May 26-28, MTN Bushfire has received over 1,500 artist applications from 45 countries and the diverse and exciting line-up will be announced early in 2017.

 

Over the past 10 years, more than 100,000 people from over 120 countries have contributed to MTN Bushfire's mandate for personal and collective commitment to social change, expressed as the festival's inspired call to action #BRINGYOURFIRE. Through a number of incredible initiatives over the years, MTN Bushfire has played a key role in facilitating artistic conversation, cultural promotion, and social messaging through projects including the Arts Round Table, which has impacted over 1,000 local arts professionals, and the Schools Festivals, that has facilitated arts learning for over 6,000 students and teachers since 2012. Additionally, MTN Bushfire supports two prolific Swazi organizations with over 1.5 million Emalangeni donated to these two beneficiaries, Young Heroes, a charity that supports young AIDS orphans, and BoMalke Rural Projects.

In 2017, MTN Bushfire looks to further encourage the #BRINGYOURFIRE message and participation through various activities within the festival, by introducing the brand new "Bring Your Fire" Zone, an interactive space devoted to activities where all guests can participate in #BRINGYOURFIRE activations.  Bushfire Festival Director Jiggs Thorne, describes the festival this way, "MTN Bushfire is a celebration of the human spirit and the joy of creative expression that seeks to encourage everyone to contribute and engage. In doing this we ask questions of ourselves, of artists, and of our audiences on how best to shape the festival we have created, how do we become practical dreamers, and how do we continue to BRING OUR FIRE. Exploring these questions defines our festival and is the real spirit that people take home with them!"

 

MTN Bushfire is a cultural immersion like no other. To take part in MTN Bushfire and  become part of a global community with firmly African roots, that one journalist described as a "living breathing  creative ecosystem,"  you are invited to #BRINGYOURFIRE to MTN Bushfire 2017 that will take place on May 26-28, 2017 and book your early bird tickets now.

For more information and photos please visit www.bush-fire.com or www.facebook.com/MTNBushfire @bushfirefest

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