Team members Mr. Leonard Gewers (Boetles), Dr. Sharon Gabie, Dr. Lee Watkins, and Dr. Lyndsey Copeland and guest Mr. Sylvester Fortuin (Oom Dolly) presented a panel at the annual conference of the South African Folklore Society (SAFOS), which was held at the University of Mpumalanga in Mbombela, South Africa, 15–18 September 2026.

The panel, titled “Breaking Ground: Indigenous Musicians in the Northern Cape Join Oral History Dialogue”, featured contributions and live musical performance from Boetles and Oom Dolly. Boetles performed a song about marriage in traditional Khoe attire. Oom Dolly performed two songs, including his celebrated original composition “Jalous Bokkie”.

Boetles and Oom Dolly were moreover invited by the conference organizers to perform for all delegates at the event’s Gala Dinner.

Congratulations to our presenters, and special thanks to our Indigenous colleagues Boetles and Oom Dolly, for a wonderful event!

The post SAFOS 2026 Conference appeared first on Sounding Indigenous in South Africa.

The “Sounding Indigenous in South Africa” project-sponsored concert, “Awe! Khoe Sounds from Namaqua”, received a glowing review in the Eastern Cape-based RiverPost (RivierPos) magazine.

Read excerpts of the review below.

“Preservation meets celebration in Awe! Khoe sounds from Namaqua

The Fringe program at the National Arts Festival delivered a culturally significant showcase yesterday afternoon at the Amazwi South African Museum of Literature. The performance by Awe! Khoe Sounds from Namaqua was far more than a standard musical set; it was a vibrant, living archive of Northern Cape heritage brought to the stage.

The production brought together an extraordinary group of Nama musicians. Taking center stage were the award-winning rieldans performers Jan Isaacs, known professionally as Boeta Gammie, and his son AJ Lee, delivering exceptional footwork that grounded the performance in regional dance traditions. Nama songwriter and Nama tin guitar player, Sylvester Fortuin— known as Oom Dolly and the original composer of the iconic track “Jaloers Bokkie” (later popularised by David Kramer)—anchored the melodic arrangements alongside traditional tin-violin player Oom Bampie. Supported by the talented Jaco Julius and Boetles Gewers, the ensemble filled the venue with an infectious energy.

The group navigated genres like the Nama stapdans and traditional rieldans, weaving historic Khoe and San storytelling with contemporary acoustic arrangements. Centered around a dynamic harmonica player downstage, the band pulled the audience into rhythmic breakdowns that balanced precision with celebratory joy.

Among the set highlights was the rendition of local folk melodies, including the catchy lyrics of “Bokkie Bokkie”:

“Bokkie, Bokkie, sĂȘ tog net vir my,

As jy tog liewer vir my kom staan.

Op my vrybakkie daar,

Ek sĂȘ, Bokkie, is dit waar?

Jy maak mos my lewe deurmekaar.”

The call-and-response style and synchronised instrumental play had the audience captivated, transforming a localised musical tradition into an engaging theatrical experience.

What makes Awe! Khoe Sounds particularly interesting is its position within active cultural preservation. The musicians form part of an extensive research initiative called “Sounding Indigenous in South Africa” (SISA). This project pairs Khoe and San scholar-activists with academic researchers from Rhodes University, Nelson Mandela University, and ĐÓ°ÉÔ­ŽŽ University of Canada to systematically document and archive heritage music and dance performances across Northern Cape communities.

What this reviewer likes about it is that the archival output—photographs, video, and audio recordings—is not locked away in an academic vacuum. It is stored directly with the indigenous community who generate the art, and professionally at the International Library of African Music (ILAM) right here in Makhanda.

Yesterday’s performance at Amazwi proved that archiving culture does not mean keeping it static. By stepping out of the field recordings and onto the festival stage, these musicians demonstrated that the sounds of Namaqualand remain joyous and vital.

“En ek jokkie vir jou bokkie”, for a nominal ticket price of R20, festival goers were treated to an invaluable performance of South African musical history.”

Many thanks to RiverPost and their readers for celebrating this momentous contribution of indigenous Nama music to South Africa‘s National Arts Festival!

The post NAF concert receives praise in RiverPost magazine appeared first on Sounding Indigenous in South Africa.

Many congratulations to Boetles Gewers, Boeta Gammie, AJ Gammie, Oom Dolly (Sylvester Fortuin), Oom Bampie (JJ Bowkes), and Jaco Julius on their performance debut at South Africa’s 2026 National Arts Festival.

These six musicians designed and performed two fantastic concerts of Nama dance music in the impressive auditorium of the Amazwi South African Museum of Literature. Their renditions of traditional Nama folk songs and original popular hits such as Oom Dolly’s “Jaloers Bokkie” were warmly received by large audiences.

This concert marked an important contribution of indigenous Nama music and dance to the National Arts Festival programme. It was the only such concert dedicated to Nama musical heritage at the Festival.

In addition to performing two concerts as part of the NAF’s Fringe programme, the musicians met with scholars at Rhodes University and Nelson Mandela University, and toured the music archive of Rhodes University’s International Library of African Music.

This event was sponsored by our project “Sounding Indigenous in South Africa”. Special thanks to project collaborator Dr. Sharon Gabie for her assistance on the ground in Makhanda and support of the musicians during the NAF.

The post Congratulations to Nama musicians on their NAF debut! appeared first on Sounding Indigenous in South Africa.

The project “Sounding Indigenous in South Africa” is excited to host two performances of Indigenous Nama music at South Africa’s 2026 National Arts Festival to take place in Makhanda, Eastern Cape.

Join us on 26 June and 27 June for an exciting program of rieldans and namastap dance music! Featured performers include the award-winning rieldans performer Boeta Gammie from Calvinia, NC and famed Nama songwriter of “Jaloers Bokkie” and creator of the Nama tin guitar Oom Dolly (Sylvester Fortuin) from Steinkopf, NC.

All are welcome to attend. Please be in touch to request complimentary tickets. Tickets at the door are the festival minimum of R20.

Awe! Khoe Sounds from Namaqua
Join celebrated Nama musicians Boeta Gammie & son, Oom Dolly & Oom Bampie, Jaco Julius, and Boetles Gewers for an evening of dance music. This group of musicians form part of a research project called “Sounding Indigenous in South Africa” (SISA). The project consists of academic researchers at Rhodes University, ĐÓ°ÉÔ­ŽŽ University and Nelson Mandela University, and Khoe and San scholar-activists who are collaboratively archiving and studying Khoe and San heritage performances of music and dance with communities across the Northern Cape. The SISA project’s archival materials (including photographs, audio recordings, and video recordings) are stored with Indigenous community partners as well as with the International Library of African Music (ILAM) located in Makhanda, Eastern Cape, South Africa. These musicians perform Nama stap dance, rieldans, and other dance music genres that combine traditional Khoe and San and contemporary styles.

Friday 26 June, 14:00–15:00 at the Amazwi South African Museum of Literature (https://www.amazwi.museum/) performance venue, 25A Worcester Street, Makhanda (Grahamstown), 6139 South Africa

Saturday 27 June, 21:00–22:00 at the Amazwi South African Museum of Literature (https://www.amazwi.museum/) performance venue, 25A Worcester Street, Makhanda (Grahamstown), 6139 South Africa

The post Upcoming concerts at South Africa’s National Arts Festival appeared first on Sounding Indigenous in South Africa.

Project team members Dr. Sharon Gabie and Mr. Leonard Gewers attended the 2026 annual Nama Cultural Festival in Keetmanshoop, Namibia held 28–31 May. Dr. Sharon Gabie travelled to the Festival in her capacity as a Consultant for the non-profit organization Cultural Survival (https://www.culturalsurvival.org/), which advocates for Indigenous People’s rights globally. Dr. Gabie assisted with an extended workshop on community radio for Nama and other Indigenous communities. Mr. Leonard Gewers conducted meetings, interviews, and audio-visual recordings at the Festival, and made new contacts with Nama musicians and artists eager to contribute to this project’s Archive.

The post Field trip to Nama Cultural Festival 2026 appeared first on Sounding Indigenous in South Africa.

On Monday 23 March 2026, the remains of 63 Khoe people previously held by the Hunterian Museum, Scotland, were reburied according to Khoe traditional customs in KinderlĂȘ, Northern Cape. The remains of the Khoe ancestors were previously repatriated to South Africa in October 2025 in the care of the IZIKO Museum, Cape Town, Western Cape.

On Friday 20 March and Saturday 21 March 2026, the IZIKO Museum together with Northern Cape Traditional Leaders, community elders and members, and researchers hosted a coffining ceremony and human rights day ceremony. Rituals performed included a Cape Khoi night vigil and cleansing ceremony with khoigoed/boegoe water; the preparation of coffins, ceremonial textiles, and ritual items (lappies komberse); Christians prayers and scripture readings; cultural performances; coffining ceremony; and passage cleansing.

On Sunday 22 March the remains travelled from Cape Town to KinderlĂȘ (Steinkopf) for reburial at KinderlĂȘ Monument on Monday 23 March. The day’s reburial ceremony featured speeches by the Mayor of Namakwa District Municipality; the Premier of the Western Cape; the Premier of the Northern Cape; the Minister of Sport, Arts, and Culture; and the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa. Ceremonial rituals included musical performances, candle lighting, scripture reading, sermon, Kalahari San dance, and community-led soil placing on the coffins.

Project member Mr. James Mapanka served as the Task Leader for the planning committee of the reburial ceremony, and represented the Northern Cape Traditional Leadership during the days-long ceremony. Project members Dr. Sharon Gabie and Mr. Boetles Gewers attended the reburial in their capacity as researchers.

Photos courtesy of Mr. James Mapanka.

The post Reburial of Khoe remains in KinderlĂȘ appeared first on Sounding Indigenous in South Africa.

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.”

The post AMS-SEM 2026 Conference appeared first on Sounding Indigenous in South Africa.

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.

The post Field trip to the Karoo and Richtersveld regions appeared first on Sounding Indigenous in South Africa.

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.

The post SEM 2025 Conference appeared first on Sounding Indigenous in South Africa.

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.

The post Launch of Namagowab Book Club appeared first on Sounding Indigenous in South Africa.