With the minstrel competitions in full swing, the Kaapse Klopse Karnivaal Association is doing a sterling job at Athlone Stadium.
On Saturday it was time for section two, and teams had to haal uit en wys.
The teams were once again participating in the categories of English Combine, Afrikaans Moppie, Juvenile Sentimental and Juvenile Combine Chorus.
The team that stood out for me in the Combine category was the Juvie Boys, along with their junior solo. The KKKA has changed the face of the junior solo forever because at first it was only boys who participated in this category but now girls can participate as well.
This is a great change for klops, but a huge boost for the young talent that exists in our communities.
It also showcases how far we have come with our culture in what was once a purely male-dominated sport.
Klops is now also providing a platform for talented young women om gehoor te word, and the Juvie Boys’ Juvenile Sentimental was a wonderful example of what phenomenal talent our girls possess.
PHENOMENAL: Talitha of the Juvie Boys.Photo: Supplied
I believe it is important for us to grow ALL our young talent; not only does it make for a great show, but the Cape also has an excellent track record with talented females.
One only has to look towards Idols SA, where five of the winners were meisies from Cape Town.
The decision to let the girls compete in the junior category deserves acknowledgement, so well done to the KKKA for giving our girls a platform and weathering the storm of those who were not so happy with this decision.
The Juvie Boys also dominated in the combined chorus.
Ameer Williams’s robotic conducting may look unorthodox - he looks like he is being controlled by a PS4 console - but he brings those high notes out of the Juvie Boy singpak that so delights the audience.
In the same category, they were challenged by District Six Raw, the team with the slogan “fone die law” and who sang a combine song about the fight for Bo-Kaap’s soul.
For me, it was an interesting moment as this team, whose members also participated in the protests for Bo-Kaap, stood on stage and sang about what they went through.
The lyrics were written by Ziyaad Hattas, who I salute for being brave enough to write a new combine song and perform it in a competition that is generally dominated by cover versions of combines.
In the Moppie category, it was Bishop Lavis who brought it.
BROUGHT THEIR A-GAME: Orients made everyone laugh with their sketch of Joe Barber. Photo: Supplied
And then District Six Raw, who has the youngest coach on Moppie in the form of Mujaahid Isaacs, came up and gave a stunning first-time performance, ending off with the team slogan “ fone die law”.
For me, however, the moppie of the day was the new Joe Barber song performed by the mighty Orients with Marawaan Karriem as lead singer, and to that, I want to say, Orient my nou!
Fadiel Gasant’s team, known as the exhibition kings, really brought their A-game.
They kicked off with a sketch of Joe Barber, and “Boeta Gamat” was so gevaarlik that most of the audience thought it was comedian David Isaacs himself.
They built a whole Joe Barber set, complete with Washiela hanging over the door.
She didn’t say anything, but the imagery the Orients created was fantastic.
As far as the singing was concerned, the comic was rhythmically correct, it kept on moving and the comedic elements kept on flowing.
Every single note Karriem sang drove the moppie and added value.
Just when I thought it could not get any better or more clever, “Boeta Jo e” sakked af: “holy moly roly poly” and the pak went bos with some dance moves.
It was great that they ended with the umbrellas, something that I also noticed Baruch did last week. This is an old school tradition when it comes to Moppie and still looks jits.
But this is anybody’s game, and the competition is getting better by the week.
I can’t even wait for the champ of champs.