Top acts booked for Bushfire

Visitors can check out South African outfits Goldfish, Black Coffee, Gazelle, Hot Water and Tonik; Swazi acts Spirits Indigenous, Nomzamo and Bholoja; as well as Oliver Mtukudzi (Zimbabwe), Habib Koité (Mali), The Yale Concert Band (US), French Mime Artist Laurent Decol and Jamaican-Canadian dub poet D'Bi.Young.

Other acts taking part include South African jazz arranger, composer, bandleader and vocalist Semenya, and roots-reggae outfit Tidal Waves, fresh from a US tour and performance at the SXSW festival in Texas.

Also on the bill are Mozambican artist António Marcos, South African VJ/DJ Târâ (aka Monique Pascall), Botswanan Afro-jazz artist Shanti Lo, Swazi hip hop duo Siyinqaba, Canadian-born Swazi/South African Croc E Moses, and French mime artist Laurent Decol.

Top DJs

Top Swazi DJs will light up the decks, including DJs Stitch (hip hop), Mixmash (old school), Mbo (electro/European), Rekorder (deep house), Tenderness (hip hop), DD Cool (dance, old school, kwaito, pasadda), Didang (hip hop/old school/Afro pop), and Wicked and Crooks (deep house).

The enormous puppets from The Giant Match make their Bushfire debut after appearing at last year's National Arts Festival and during World Cup-related festivities. Based on the original collaboration between South African artists and Les Grandes Personnes, these giant puppets and a troupe of musicians will deliver a larger-than-life performance in the Bushfire arena.

Young Heroes gets profits

Bushfire has become renowned for not only promoting local artistic talent as well as cultural diversity, but creatively advocating for social change. AIDS orphan support NGO Young Heroes receives 100 percent of festival profits - more than R500 000 to date.

"Our 'Call to Action' philosophy means that we are not merely a passive arts fest offering escapist entertainment," said festival director Jiggs Thorne. "We are mindful of the challenges facing the country and, as such, we encourage artists to use their creative voices to promote development and transformation."

The event also focuses on the economic empowerment of Swazis, particularly in the arts, culture, tourism and hospitality industries. This year's festival - with the theme "Mixing the Point", to celebrate diversity and inspire new collaborations and cultural meeting points - will again feature a fair trade and design marketplace, in collaboration with Swaziland Fair Trade. Handcraft workshops will be presented, and Swazi products will be showcased to visitors as well as to international designers, distributors and retail buyers.

Six Swazi groups will perform on the "100 percent Seriously Swazi" stage, with others performing informally throughout the festival grounds.

Bushfire Schools Festival and outreach project

Other ongoing projects are the Bushfire Schools Festival and outreach project, which gives young people access to quality, sustainable arts activities, and the Arts & Culture Round Table, held in partnership with the Arterial Network, to discuss the development of the arts.

Pre-booking for Bushfire is essential at www.computicket.com. Both VIP and standard tickets are available, as are one-day tickets. Children enjoy discounted rates, with free admission for under-fives.

Tickets are also available internationally at www.swazi.travel. The website includes information on where to stay during the festival, from backpackers and campsites to chalets and hotels. Go to www.bushfire.co.sz for more information and updates.