It's that time of the year that’s got me singing “Happy days are here again, the clouds above are clear again, so let us sing a song of cheer again, happy days are here again”.
The streets of Cape Town are about to become alive with colour, music and sheer bliss. Two of the biggest cultural spectacles in the world are about to take centre stage in the Cape Town CBD over the next week.
Come Sunday, the Cape Malay Choirs will be doing their Oujaarsaand jol gedrape in tracksuits and some old nagtroep styles as they will be jolling the night away.
The sound of the banjo and gummy will ring out in the streets and Nederlands liedjies will be sung at every tafel.
So make your way to town on Sunday for your dose of lekker Cape Malay cultural music.
As usual, they will be going past the Parade, so it will be the place to be.
My only issue about this jol is the fact that it’s shifted to the 30th, which kind of takes away the significance of oujaarsaand, but let’s not dwell on the time.
Let’s just enjoy the beautiful game and make it the spectacle that it deserves to be.
So square ma’ jou oujaarsaand gear op, of maak arrangements for a lay-buy and stiek uit for a lekker jol.
FULL BLAST: A nagtroep blows up a storm marching down Wale Street in the C.Town CBD
The public can also catch their favourite teams at the Blackpool Hall in Salt River. Then next Wednesday it is time for the most anticipated street parade in the world: the Kaapse klopse and the Cape Town Street Parade.
This is the one that most people are looking forward to as it is an internationally recognised event.
The street parade, or Tweede Nuwe Jaar, is famous for the colourful gear worn by minstrels, the painted faces, the marching bands with their pad-numbertjies and the vibrance and energy of the Kaapse klopse.
This year we can also expect some lekker entertainment at the main stage as the legendary Loukmaan Adams will be performing alongside a long list of artists like Shadley Schroeder and I will be the resident master of ceremonies on the day.
There has been much talk about the selling of VIP tickets and many people have commented and said that this is not right and that the culture is now being sold, but I think it makes a lot of sense, because this is one way of making the culture sustainable.
Yes, the klopse received millions from the City, but to run an event of a really high standard costs far more than what the klopse get as a budget.
The other day I tried hiring a stage half the size of what is up at the street parade and I was quoted over R60 000.
Selling tickets sounds a bit weird right now, but it could help to run a successful event.
Be that as it may, the focus now is to have a good time, so make your way to the CBD for this Kaapse jol next Wednesday and give yourself a tyd.
ALL AGES: The All Star Entertainers minstrel troupe will be part of the colourful klops spectacle in January
With that said, there is lots being said in mainstream and social media about a divide within our fraternity.
Let us show our people the supporters of klops as a whole that we can work together come Tweede Nuwe Jaar and put on a helluva show by rukking the CBD and streets of Cape Town as we do each year.
In the end, klops and Malay choirs are bigger than an individual and no one man or woman can claim this culture.
It belongs to us all, the laaitie that travelled by train with his oupa to Cape Town Stadium, the tieties who sew the gear, the moffies who jol in front of the klops, the atchas, every single band member, the klops base who make sacrifices the whole year, the singpakke who stand in klopskamers practising day and night, but most importantly, it belongs to every individual who stands on the sidelines, the kid that is being lifted on the shoulders of his father to see the teams parade.
Yes, you, the supporter, the die-hard klopse lover, the one whose heart is beating to the sound of the ghoema drum, it’s your culture and nobody can take it away from you, so maak die Kaap aanie brand.