Picnic concert with Les Javan and Riku Lätti

Two of South Africa's most accomplished songwriters, Les Javan and Riku Latti, will be joining forces at a picnic concert at the Afrikaanse Taalmonument in Paarl, on Saturday, 14 January. The show, which starts at 18:30, will take place on-stage, on the monument's lawn.

Javan and Lätti describe their performance as "stories and music of love and grief, sorrow and joy; on being human, and its unique implications for different souls."

Known for his hit song "Met jou aan my sy", from the acclaimed album, "Hiervandaan", Javan played a leading role in the music education programme at Solms-Delta wine estate, near Franschhoek. Javan has often acted as representative for South African traditional music in various foreign countries, including at the the Ridhu World Music Festival in Norway. His songs, performed by iconic artists such as David Kramer, Anton Goosen and Karen Zoid, have been described as "beautiful, honest, soulful" and "stripped works of art".

Riku Lätti has, over the past decade, established himself as a respected songwriter and composer. He was responsible for the musical soundtrack of the film "Die Ongelooflike Avonture van Hanna Hoekom" and (together with Jahn Beukes and Piet Botha) composed the music for the Kyknet series, "Wie lê waar?" He recently released his first children's CD, "Janneman in die Diereryk", and his work "Radio Lava", created in conjunction with Jahn Beukes and Arnaud van Vliet, has been listed amongst the top 25 Afrikaans albums of all time.

Visitors are welcome to bring their own picnic baskets or they can order one from Volksmond Coffee Shop (tel. 021 863 2800 or az.oc.muesumlaat@dnomsklov). Volksmond will be open for coffee and light refreshments.
Entrance at the gate is R30 for adults and R10 for children (under 6 free). The concert is held in aid of the Taalmonument's Reading Project for the Youth. Safe parking is available and access is controlled. No dogs or fires are allowed. The concert will be cancelled if the weather is bad.
Picnic concerts are also scheduled for 28 December (Picnic on fire) and 28 January (The Rockets). For more information about events at the Taalmuseum or Taalmonument, call 021 872 3441 or visit www.taalmonument.co.za.

Date: 14 January 2012
Venue: Afrikaanse Taalmonument, Paarl
Cost: R30 for adults and R10 for children (free under 6 years)