One of the great highlights of the Winelands calendar, this inclusive festival celebrates the hard work of the Valley's farmworkers, with an outstanding showcase of local musicians.
The line-up of performers includes Emo Adams, the witty Cape Flats born-and-bred actor and singer of District 6: The Musical fame, and The Radio Kalahari Orkes that incorporates the unlikely musical talents of actor Ian Roberts and writer/poet Rian Malan. Adams recently released his CD, “Tall, Dark and Afrikaans” and the Radio Kalahari Orkes with its music born from solid working-class Afrikaans roots with classic Roberts' tongue-in-cheek and razor-sharp social commentary.
On the home front, Les Javan, acknowledged as one of Cape Town's great composers and artist in residence at Solms-Delta's Music van de Caab, will be on stage with his band Nonspesifiek. And adding their own toe-tapping brand of Cape vernacular music will be Solms-Delta's womens' choir the Delta Soetstemme; a brass, guitar and vocal ensemble, the Delta Langbroek Band; the Delta Bluestars brass and klopse band and the evergreen locals, the Papier Family Langarm Band.
No Franschhoek Oesfees would be the same without old favourites, legendary spoon-wielding slide-guitarist Hannes Coetzee and Cape Jazz king, Robbie Jansen. And to have everyone dancing up a storm, the rhythms of the boeremusiek of Negosiegoed; traditional storytelling in song and dance by Jakobus & Hester Cloete, Pieter van der Westhuizen & Tannie Grietjie and the Rieldanse champions from Grabouw and Witzenberg; Ghoema Jazz of “national gem” Mac McKenzie and his Ghoema orchestra.
The 2010 Franschhoek Oesfees takes place on Saturday, 27 March, from 11am until 9pm at Solms-Delta Wine Estate, Delta Road, off the R45, Franschhoek Valley (40 minutes from Cape Town). Gates open at 10am.
Tickets are available through webtickets.co.za, at the farm or Franschhoek Tourism office for R160 per person, which includes a R60 meal voucher. Food stalls will serve traditional kaapsekos throughout the day, and a cash bar for wine and soft drinks will be available. Entry is free for children under six and half price for under 12. Go to www.solms-delta.co.za for videos of 2008 and 2009 events and further details.
