ATIYYAH KHAN ° How Jazz Musicians Fought Against Apartheid

By loading the video, you agree to Vimeo's privacy policy.
Learn more

Always unblock Vimeo

Podcast

The Art of Assembly

XXVI: Impacts of Sound – Sounds of Impact (Fabio Cervi / Earshot, Atiyyah Khan, Brandon LaBelle, Xenia Koghilakil & Florian Malzacher)

00:00 / 02:03:22

Jazz in South Africa played a huge role in mobilising communities and unconventional venues during apartheid, creating spaces of political resistance and joy. Due to severe pass laws by the apartheid government, different races were not allowed to gather, curfews were put in place, venues were closed down, communities torn apart; and yet somehow this music thrived. Shebeens in townships were important spaces for gathering. Jazz was also used to politice people at rallies held in unconventional spaces like at funerals or at movie theaters. The impact of these musicians has left a lasting legacy on how the culture of jazz in South Africa flourishes.

Part of Episode XXVI: “Impacts of Sound – Sounds of Impact”
With Fabio Cervi, Atiyyah Khan, Brandon LaBelle, Xenia Koghilaki & Florian Malzacher

30. November 2023 – Black Box Teater Oslo / Norway
In partnership with Ultima, Black Box Teater and Astrup Fearnley Museum. Supported by the EEA Grants and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms as part of Transmissions, coordinated by Onassis Stegi

Biography

Atiyyah Khan is an arts journalist, activist, DJ and sound archivist from Johannesburg, based in Cape Town, South Africa. For the past 15 years, she has documented art and culture and her work has been published in major publications in South Africa and abroad. Common themes in her work focus on topics like spatial injustice, untold stories of apartheid, jazz history and underground art movements. Her current work continues both in the field of journalism and the study of sound. Atiyyah is also the co-founder of music collective Future Nostalgia, which has been running since 2013 and hosts listening sessions and gigs around South Africa. As DJ El Corazon, her sets explore music beyond boundaries forming connections that connect South African sounds to the rest of the world. Atiyyah has headed up several podcasts, radio shows, sonic lectures and other sound-related work. Most recently she hosted a monthly radio show on Worldwide FM for two years and currently runs a short monthly show on J-Wave in Japan. Currently she works for various publications documenting South African arts and culture and continues her DJ and sound work.