JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – The recently announced Tribe One: Dinokeng music festival, a public–private partnership, is set to create substantial economic-, social- and cultural-development opportunities in the historic mining town of Cullinan, in the Dinokeng region of northern Gauteng.

Tshwane acting city manager Lindiwe Kwele said: “The scale of the festival will draw the attention of Africa and the rest of the world to the region of Dinokeng and Tshwane and set in motion some key achievements for the region such as skills development, job creation, revenue generation and marketing for the city and the region,” which were key objectives of the City of Tshwane. The festival was, therefore, designed to provide Cullinan with a much-needed economic boost.

The City of Tshwane partnered with Pan African music and entertainment production, content and events company ROCKSTAR4000 and US music corporation Sony Music Entertainment as the host city for this “first-of-its-kind initiative in Africa”.

The Dinokeng project would focus on organic sustainable growth over an initial three-year period and beyond.  “All appointed suppliers will be required to source labour locally, as well as commit to the training and development of locals from the building and infrastructure phase through to the many on-site opportunities that will arise during the three-day event,” noted ROCKSTAR4000.

The space allocated for the event covered over 6 km² and would be developed as a multipurpose community sports, recreation, arts and culture venue. The commitment to infrastructure development, including the installation of roads, electricity and sanitation in the area, was expected to provide a lasting legacy for the local community.

Tribe One: Dinokeng would work with the City of Tshwane to invest substantially in physical infrastructure not only for the festival but to create a hub for other festivals, concerts and theatrical events. In addition to the many jobs and skills that would be created during the building and development process, “the space would continue to provide a range of opportunities for the community over many years to come," said ROCKSTAR4000.

MUSIC AS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOL

The three-day music festival would be the African continent’s debut on the global music-festival circuit, boasting a “multiday, multistage musical extravaganza yet to be experienced on African soil,” the company added.

The power of music to unite, develop and educate was also one of the fundamental outputs of the project.  In fact, Tribe One: Dinokeng was expected to make a significant annual contribution to the development of arts and culture in the Dinokeng region by providing alternative opportunities for communities to empower themselves and educate others through music, alongside the initiatives of the ROCKSTAR training academy specifically developed for the event.

The inaugural Tribe One: Dinokeng music festival was scheduled to take place from September 26 to 28, 2014, during Heritage month and weekend, and would be the centrepiece of the multiple celebrations and initiatives the City of Tshwane had set in motion to celebrate South Africa's heritage.

As the festival’s inaugural year in 2014 coincided with South Africa’s 20 Years of Democracy, the City of Tshwane would also use the music festival as the platform to celebrate this milestone in South Africa.

The festival was set to attract the best contemporary music talent from across South Africa and the wider African continent, as well as other prominent names from around the world, with the primary focus on contemporary, mainstream music genres.

"ROCKSTAR4000 is borne and founded on the passion for and love of music and the African continent. We are thrilled beyond words as we create what is set to be the biggest event, content, broadcast, digital, marketing and exposure platform for artists from across the continent," said ROCKSTAR4000 CEO and founder Jandre Louw, who was also the architect and creator of the Tribe One: Dinokeng festival.

Sony Music Entertainment Africa MD Sean Watson said: “Our involvement in this amazing project is based on our long-standing strategic partnership with ROCKSTAR4000 and the City of Tshwane’s recognition of the historical opportunity to positively impact the community of Cullinan by leveraging the power of music to support growth and development in the town.”