THE friendly city of Gqeberha will soon be covered in a sea of satin and the air filled with the sounds of the ghoema beat, a la Kaapse klopse style!
“With the two Capes so closely connected in heritage and traditions, it’s actually surprising that this was not thought of before,” said Baydu Adams, one of the founding members of the GQ Entertainers.
The three directors have a strong connection with the minstrel fraternity, with Adams being a Capetonian and having a second home in Gqeberha, and Jonathan Africa having been both member and chairperson of the world-renowned St George’s Park Brass Band, who for many years played for minstrels in Cape Town.
Fuad “Addie” Jappie is the man behind scores of events in this region, including the Sunset Surf Club Night Surfing Classic, the first National Inline Hockey Championships, the Eastern Cape Schools Drill Marching Competition and the NMB Splash Festival.
Addie’s best friend also runs a troupe called the Orient Community Development group, back in the Cape.
Baydu joked that he’s already invited Addie to dance with a troupe called the Juvie Boy Entertainers on Tweede Nuwe Jaar (an annual event in Cape Town where thousands of different troupe members dance from District 6 to Bo-Kaap, commemorating the one day a year slaves were given off by their masters), dancing alongside the likes of Siya Kolisi, Scarra Ntubeni, Conrad Jantjes, Nizaam Carr, Wayne McKay and JP Duminy, to name a few.
In Cape Town, the minstrels compete in 17 categories of the competition which include items such as group song, juvenile sentimental, Afrikaans comic, best band and klopsejol.
“There’s no competition here so we’re basically in it for the klopsejol!” giggles Africa.
“We’re well aware of the issues faced in our communities so we’d like to channel especially the youth’s energy into learning to play instruments and bring a sense of pride to their home town,” added Jappie.
“We’re intending on taking this to the next level so that more projects can spark from this and become a tourist attraction.”
- Anyone interested in joining the Eastern Cape’s first minstrel team, either to play an instrument or just dance along, is welcome to follow The GQ Entertainers on Facebook and send them a message via inbox. Their troupe can be booked to perform at events, openings of businesses or at festivals.
For more info, contact Baydu Adams at bayduadams@gmail.com.
