Sankofa Heritage Festival Opening Performance
Emerging traditional musicians in South Africa compete for opening performance slot at inaugural Sankofa Heritage Festival on February 28, 2026.
The Sankofa Heritage Festival is hosting an open call for emerging traditional musicians, bands, and groups to perform an opening slot at its inaugural event scheduled for February 28, 2026, at Carnival City in Johannesburg, South Africa. Founded by South African musician and cultural activist Thandiswa Mazwai, the festival celebrates the preservation and indigenous African music and cultural heritage. The first edition will be co-headlined by Thandiswa Mazwai, Grammy-nominated artist Somi (Rwanda/Uganda), and South African musician Msaki.
Successful applicants will have the opportunity to perform a 20-minute set on the festival programme. The festival targets upcoming traditional music practitioners based in South Africa who perform predominantly original material. Applicants must be South Africa-based, cannot be signed to a major record label, and cover bands are not eligible.
Applicants are required to submit an application form and upload a performance video, which must also be shared on social media with relevant festival and artist tags. The selected act will receive a flat performance fee, from which artist fees and transport costs must be covered. The Sankofa Heritage Festival is supported by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture through its Mzansi Golden Economy initiative.