News Archives - Sounding Indigenous in South Africa /soundingindigenous/category/news/ ĐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University Tue, 17 Mar 2026 18:20:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 AMS-SEM 2026 Conference /soundingindigenous/2026/ams-sem-2026-conference/ Sat, 28 Feb 2026 19:00:00 +0000 /soundingindigenous/?p=540 Team members Dr. Lyndsey Copeland and Mr. Boetles Gewers co-presented a paper at the joint conference of the American Musicological Society and the Society for Ethnomusicology, which was held at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, USA, 27–28 February 2026. Dr. Copeland and Mr. Gewers’s paper was entitled “Reflections on Collaborative Methodologies in a Community […]

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AMS-SEM 2026 Conference

February 28, 2026

Time to read: 1 minutes

News

Team members Dr. Lyndsey Copeland and Mr. Boetles Gewers co-presented a paper at the joint conference of the American Musicological Society and the Society for Ethnomusicology, which was held at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, USA, 27–28 February 2026. Dr. Copeland and Mr. Gewers’s paper was entitled “Reflections on Collaborative Methodologies in a Community Archiving Project in South Africa.”

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]]> Field trip to the Karoo and Richtersveld regions /soundingindigenous/2025/field-trip-to-the-karoo-and-richtersveld-regions/ Sat, 20 Dec 2025 16:40:00 +0000 /soundingindigenous/?p=507 In December 2025, team members Dr. Lee Watkins, Mr. Leonard Boetles Gewers, and Dr. Lyndsey Copeland conducted research in the Karoo region of the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces, followed by the Richtersveld region in the Northern Cape. We travelled first to Vredendal, Vanrhynsdorp, Nieuwoudtville, Loeriesfontein, and Calvinia, and met with and interviewed numerous […]

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Field trip to the Karoo and Richtersveld regions

February 28, 2026

Time to read: 4 minutes

News

In December 2025, team members Dr. Lee Watkins, Mr. Leonard Boetles Gewers, and Dr. Lyndsey Copeland conducted research in the Karoo region of the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces, followed by the Richtersveld region in the Northern Cape. We travelled first to Vredendal, Vanrhynsdorp, Nieuwoudtville, Loeriesfontein, and Calvinia, and met with and interviewed numerous practitioners of an indigenous Khoe dance style called rieldans. Thereafter, Dr. Watkins and Mr. Gewers travelled northward to Port Nolloth in the Richtersveld to pursue follow-up visits and interviews with Nama musicians there.

Fieldwork December 2025
View of a quiver tree and abandoned building on the outskirts of Loeriesfontein, Northern Cape, in the Hantam region of the Karoo.
Fieldwork December 2025
Mr. Boetles Gewers with Ms. Hettie Witbooi and Mr. Gert Witbooi in Loeriesfontein, Northern Cape.
Fieldwork December 2025
Mr. Noag Witbooi and Mr. Boetles Gewers accompany an impromptu rieldans in the courtyard of Mr. Witbooi’s home in Nieuwoudtville, Northern Cape.
December fieldwork
Mr. Boetles Gewers performs with Mr. Noag Witbooi during an interview at Mr. Witbooi’s home in Nieuwoudtville, Northern Cape.
Fieldwork December 2025
Dr. Lyndsey Copeland, Mr. Noag Witbooi, and Mr. Leonard Gewers at Mr. Witbooi’s home in Nieuwoudtville.
Fieldwork December 2025
Mr. Leonard Boetles Gewers in interview with Ms. Hester Van Wyk and Ms. Anna Assegaai in Nieuwoudtville, Northern Cape.
Fieldwork December 2025
Mr. Boetles Gewers and Dr. Ian Copeland en route over the treacherous Vanrhyns Pass in Namaqualand that marks the border of the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces.
Fieldwork December 2025
View of the Calvinia town history museum on the main street of Calvinia, Northern Cape, in the Great Karoo region.
Fieldwork December 2025
Dr. Lee Watkins in interview with Mr. Boeta Gammie in Calvinia, Northern Cape.
Fieldwork December 2025
Dr. Lee Watkins and Mr. Eloff Snyman host a braai after a day of field work in Calvinia, Northern Cape.
Fieldwork December 2025
Team members Dr. Lyndsey Copeland, Mr. Boetles Gewers, and Dr. Lee Watkins in Vredendal, Western Cape.

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]]> SEM 2025 Conference /soundingindigenous/2025/sem-2025-conference/ Mon, 27 Oct 2025 15:00:00 +0000 /soundingindigenous/?p=502 Team members Dr. Lee Watkins, Dr. Sharon Gabie, Mr. Leonard Boetles Gewers, and Dr. Lyndsey Copeland presented at the 2025 annual conference of the Society for Ethnomusicology held 22–26 October in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Our team members hosted a 90 minute roundtable entitled “Archiving with Indigenous Communities: Perspectives from South Africa”. The roundtable began […]

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SEM 2025 Conference

February 28, 2026

Time to read: 1 minutes

News

SEM logo

Team members Dr. Lee Watkins, Dr. Sharon Gabie, Mr. Leonard Boetles Gewers, and Dr. Lyndsey Copeland presented at the 2025 annual conference of the Society for Ethnomusicology held 22–26 October in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Our team members hosted a 90 minute roundtable entitled “Archiving with Indigenous Communities: Perspectives from South Africa”. The roundtable began in ceremonious fashion with a performance by Nama musician and community activist, Boetles Gewers. We then each shared individual remarks elaborating our research project and, more broadly, archiving as a decolonial methodology.

SEM 2025 conference presentation

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]]> Launch of Namagowab Book Club /soundingindigenous/2025/launch-of-namagowab-book-club/ Thu, 23 Oct 2025 17:38:00 +0000 /soundingindigenous/?p=530 Team member Mr. James Mapanka, Director of the South Africa Nama Development Association (SANDEVA), co-organized and hosted the launch of the first Namagowab language book club for Nama communities in the Richtersveld, Northern Cape. The inaugural book club is sponsored by SANDEVA; South Africa’s Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture; South Africa’s Cultural, Religious, and […]

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Launch of Namagowab Book Club

February 28, 2026

Time to read: 2 minutes

News

Team member Mr. James Mapanka, Director of the South Africa Nama Development Association (SANDEVA), co-organized and hosted the launch of the first Namagowab language book club for Nama communities in the Richtersveld, Northern Cape. The inaugural book club is sponsored by SANDEVA; South Africa’s Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture; South Africa’s Cultural, Religious, and Linguistic Rights Commission; and the Richtersveld Municipality.

Book club
Book club
Book club
Book club

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]]> Ceremony at IZIKO Museum, Cape Town /soundingindigenous/2025/ceremony-at-iziko-museum-cape-town/ Fri, 17 Oct 2025 17:43:00 +0000 /soundingindigenous/?p=538 Team member Mr. James Mapanka is serving as a Task Leader in the return of Khoe and San human remains from the Hunterian Museum (Glasgow, Scotland) to Khoesan communities in the Northern Cape in collaboration with the IZIKO South African Museum (Cape Town, South Africa). Mr. Mapanka leads the task of organizing the reburial ceremony […]

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Ceremony at IZIKO Museum, Cape Town

February 28, 2026

Time to read: 2 minutes

News

Team member Mr. James Mapanka is serving as a Task Leader in the return of Khoe and San human remains from the Hunterian Museum (Glasgow, Scotland) to Khoesan communities in the Northern Cape in collaboration with the IZIKO South African Museum (Cape Town, South Africa). Mr. Mapanka leads the task of organizing the reburial ceremony of the remains to take place in KinderlĂŞ, Northern Cape in March 2026. On October 17, 2025, Mr. Mapanka spoke at the Homecoming Ceremony hosted at the IZIKO Museum, which marked the return of the remains from Scotland to South Africa.

Ceremony invitation
Mr Mapanka at the podium
Screenshot

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]]> Celebrating Mr. Mapanka and Dr. Gabie /soundingindigenous/2024/celebrating-mr-mapanka-and-dr-gabie/ Fri, 20 Dec 2024 17:20:00 +0000 /soundingindigenous/?p=71 Congratulations to our team members Mr. James Mapanka and Dr. Sharon Gabie! Mr. Mapanka was appointed a member of the Commission for the Promotion of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) for a period of five years. Nominees were shortlisted and invited to interviews before a selection panel chaired by […]

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Celebrating Mr. Mapanka and Dr. Gabie

February 28, 2026

Time to read: 1 minutes

News

Congratulations to our team members Mr. James Mapanka and Dr. Sharon Gabie!

Mr. Mapanka was appointed a member of the Commission for the Promotion of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities (CRL Rights Commission) for a period of five years. Nominees were shortlisted and invited to interviews before a selection panel chaired by Prof Itumeleng Mosala submitted recommendations to President Cyril Ramaphosa. Read news of Mr. Mapanka’s appointment here:

Dr. Gabie was appointed as an advisor to the Minister in South Africa’s Department of Sports, Arts and Culture (DSAC) as part of a panel on Intangible Cultural Heritage. She was moreover nominated to the Board of Directors for the Point Discovery Centre (PDC) in Mossel Bay, a not-for-profit that showcases artefacts of over 160,000 years old. Learn more about the DSAC here: Learn more about PDC here:

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]]> Field trip to Nama Cultural Festival, Northern Cape /soundingindigenous/2024/field-trip-to-nama-cultural-festival-pella-northern-cape/ Sat, 28 Sep 2024 16:09:00 +0000 /soundingindigenous/?p=64 Dr. Sharon Gabie and Mr. Boetles Gewers travelled to Pella, Northern Cape to attend the South African iteration of the annual Nama Cultural Festival. The festival, colloquially called “Nama Fest”, features vendors of traditional Nama crafts such as leather shoes, quilted clothing, and beadwork; vendors of Nama cuisine; performances by Nama musicians, dancers, storytellers, and […]

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Field trip to Nama Cultural Festival, Northern Cape

February 28, 2026

Time to read: 2 minutes

News

Dr. Sharon Gabie and Mr. Boetles Gewers travelled to Pella, Northern Cape to attend the South African iteration of the annual Nama Cultural Festival. The festival, colloquially called “Nama Fest”, features vendors of traditional Nama crafts such as leather shoes, quilted clothing, and beadwork; vendors of Nama cuisine; performances by Nama musicians, dancers, storytellers, and comedians; and communal dances. Boetles surprised festival goers with an impromptu performance of Riemvasmaaker music.

Read more about Nama Fest on Facebook:

Image of a promotional flyer for the Nama Cultural Festival.
Photo of a flyer advertising the Nama Cultural Festival in Pella, NC.
Image of an outdoor dance performance. There is a large crowd in the background of 100 or more people.
Screengrab from a video recording of Nama step line dance performed at the festival’s opening ceremony.
Image of Mr. Boetles Gewers performing on a stage.
Screengrab from a video recording of Mr. Boetles Gewers’s performance on the main stage.
Image of a social dance outdoors at night, zoomed in on 2 performers in vibrant clothing.
Screengrab from a video recording of langarm social dancing in the evening.
Image of a home in Pella, taken from the courtyard outside of the house.
View from the courtyard of a home in Pella, NC.

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]]> South Africa’s National Arts Festival 2024 /soundingindigenous/2024/national-arts-festival/ Mon, 01 Jul 2024 16:03:00 +0000 /soundingindigenous/?p=73 Project member Dr. Watkins represented the International Library of African Music (ILAM) at the 2024 National Arts Festival, the country’s largest arts festival held annually in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown), Eastern Cape. ILAM’s participation in the 2024 NAF included musical performances, community outreach activities, and ILAM’s 70th Birthday Celebration Concert, among other events. Dr. Copeland also […]

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South Africa’s National Arts Festival 2024

February 28, 2026

Time to read: 3 minutes

News

Project member Dr. Watkins represented the International Library of African Music (ILAM) at the 2024 National Arts Festival, the country’s largest arts festival held annually in Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown), Eastern Cape. ILAM’s participation in the 2024 NAF included musical performances, community outreach activities, and ILAM’s 70th Birthday Celebration Concert, among other events.

Dr. Copeland also travelled to Makhanda to attend the NAF. Among many standout events, she attended two award-winning theatrical productions by the Indigenous company Nama Khoi Productions (“Swartwater” and “Dwaling/ Ihare mâ”) and musical performances at the community arts hub The Black Power Station.

Learn more about the International Library of African Music here:

Learn more about Nama Khoi Productions here: q=naf

Learn more about The Black Power Station here:

Image of the foyer of The Monument, the Festival's main venue.
The foyer of the National Arts Festival’s main event venue, the Monument Building.
Image of Dr. Lee Watkins speaking on a stage with orange, blue, and purple lighting.
Dr. Lee Watkins speaks at ILAM’s 70th Birthday Celebration Concert on June 21, 2024.
Image of two flyers, advertising Indigenous led theatrical productions.
Flyers advertise two theatrical productions by the Indigenous-led Nama Khoi Production company.
Xolie Madinda preparing to speak at an event venue. There are bookshelves in the background.
The founder of The Black Power Station, Xolile (“X”) Madinda, prepares to speak before a hip hop performance at the venue on June 23, 2024.
Image of Dr. Ian Copeland approaching a donkey in one of Makhanda's public parks.
Dr. Ian Copeland encounters a donkey roaming one of Makhanda’s public parks.

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]]> Field trip to the Northern Cape /soundingindigenous/2024/field-trip-in-the-northern-cape/ Tue, 25 Jun 2024 20:16:00 +0000 /soundingindigenous/?p=369 Project members Dr. Copeland, Dr. Gabie, Mr. Gewers, and Mr. Veldskoen conducted three weeks of field research across the Northern Cape. Our researchers met with over fifty Nama, Damara, and Griqua community members, musical ensembles, and musicians in Upington, Keimoes, Kakamas, Kenhardt, Pella, Reimvasmaak, Steinkopf, and Springbok.

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Field trip to the Northern Cape

February 28, 2026

Time to read: 1 minutes

News

Project members Dr. Copeland, Dr. Gabie, Mr. Gewers, and Mr. Veldskoen conducted three weeks of field research across the Northern Cape. Our researchers met with over fifty Nama, Damara, and Griqua community members, musical ensembles, and musicians in Upington, Keimoes, Kakamas, Kenhardt, Pella, Reimvasmaak, Steinkopf, and Springbok.

Image of Ms. Rose Pier-Katzao in an interview with Mr. Boetles Gewers
Dressmaker and Nama cultural activist Ms. Rose Pier-Katzao explains the significance of Nama funeral clothing in an interview with Mr. Boetles Gewers at her home in Pella, NC.
Nama biscuits and rooibos tea
Nama biscuits and rooibos tea prepared by Ms. Rose Pier-Katzao of Pella, NC.
Dr. Sharon Gabie, Mr. Wilard Veldskoen, and Mr. Boetles Gewers interviewing members of the Kenhardt String Orchestra
Dr. Sharon Gabie, Mr. Wilard Veldskoen, and Mr. Boetles Gewers record and interview members of the Kenhardt String Orchestra in Kenhardt, NC.
Dr. Sharon Gabie interviews Ms. Rose Cloete at Ms. Cloete’s home in Keimoes, NC.
Dr. Sharon Gabie engages Ms. Rose Cloete in an interview at Ms. Cloete’s home in Keimoes, NC.
Mr. Wilard Veldskoen & Mr. Petrus Frans share conversation while Mr. Frans’s wife and grandchildren look on.
Mr. Wilard Veldskoen and Mr. Petrus Frans share conversation while Mr. Frans’s wife and grandchildren look on in Keimoes, NC.
Mr. James Bason and Mr. Abraham Katimba perform Namastap songs in front of Ms. Bason at the Bason’s home
Mr. James Bason and Mr. Abraham Katimba perform Namastap songs in front of Ms. Bason at the Bason’s home in Riemvasmaak, NC.
3 Members of the Riemvasmaak Choir pose in traditional Nama clothing outside the Riemvasmaak Town Hall.
Members of the Riemvasmaak Choir pose in their traditional Nama clothing outside the Riemvasmaak Town Hall.
Mr. Abraham Katimba in an interview with Dr. Sharon Gabie and Mr. Wilard Veldskoen.
Mr. Abraham Katimba explains the significance of the Riemvasmaaker clothing colors of black, white, red, and green in an interview with Dr. Sharon Gabie and Mr. Wilard Veldskoen.
Dr. Ian Copeland and Mr. Wilard Veldskoen taking a break during field work in Riemvasmaak, NC
Dr. Ian Copeland and Mr. Wilard Veldskoen take a break during field work in Riemvasmaak, NC.
Dr. Lyndsey Copeland and Dr. Wilard Veldskoen posing with Arcades Band at their rehearsal studio in Steinkopf, NC.
Dr. Lyndsey Copeland and Dr. Wilard Veldskoen pose with Arcades Band at their rehearsal studio in Steinkopf, NC.
An image of a Sociable Weaver bird’s nest on the road from Keimoes to Kenhardt, NC.
A view of a Sociable Weaver bird’s nest on the road from Keimoes to Kenhardt, NC.
Dr. Lyndsey Copeland, Mr. Boetles Gewers, Dr. Sharon Gabie, and Mr. Wilard Veldskoen debriefing after a day of field work.
Dr. Lyndsey Copeland, Mr. Boetles Gewers, Dr. Sharon Gabie, and Mr. Wilard Veldskoen debrief after a long day of field work.

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]]> Team meeting in Kakamas /soundingindigenous/2024/team-meeting-in-kakamas/ Tue, 04 Jun 2024 16:10:00 +0000 /soundingindigenous/?p=60 Project members gathered at the headquarters of the South African Nama Development Association in Kakamas, NC for a team meeting led by Mr. James Mapanka. Present at the meeting were Mr. Mapanka, Dr. Gabie, Mr. Laurencius Veldskoen, Mr. Leonard Gewers, Dr. Lyndsey Copeland, and Dr. Ian Copeland.

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Team meeting in Kakamas

February 28, 2026

Time to read: 1 minutes

News

June 4, 2024

Project members gathered at the headquarters of the South African Nama Development Association in Kakamas, NC for a team meeting led by Mr. James Mapanka. Present at the meeting were Mr. Mapanka, Dr. Gabie, Mr. Laurencius Veldskoen, Mr. Leonard Gewers, Dr. Lyndsey Copeland, and Dr. Ian Copeland.

Image of Boetles Gewers, Lyndsey Copeland, Sharon Gabie, Wilard Veldskoen, and James Mapanka sitting around a wooden table.
From left to right: Boetles Gewers, Lyndsey Copeland, Sharon Gabie, Wilard Veldskoen, James Mapanka.

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