Special treat for music lovers

'JOY OF JAZZ': 'BLACK JEW' DRIVING FORCE BEHIND FESTIVAL

- Brian Sokutu

They may appear different in looks, but Gareth Ackerman, Nicky Oppenheimer, Ivan Glasenberg and businesswoman Mantwa Chinoamadi, have one thing in common. Hailing from Limpopo's Venda, Chinoamadi - producer of the annual, multimillion-rand Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Festival - is known as "a black Jew - a Venda who does not eat pork".

Ackerman, Oppenheimer and Glasenberg are all Jewish billionaires who have made it in the realm of business.

With her descendants coming elsewhere in Africa, Chinoamadi says most black Jews in South Africa come from Ethiopia.

"They settled in Venda and all around Limpopo," she says.

"My father always referred to me as 'the tall one' - the one who can take food out of the rafters of the house without moving a ladder."

She adds: "Black Jews like myself are called Bashabi, who have their own religion - an exciting piece of history."

As producer of Africa's most popular jazz gathering, which has for years attracted some of the big local and international artists, Chinoamadi cracked it in what has historically been regarded as a male-dominated terrain.

"All our shows have been sold out since we started and I credit our marketing team for all the hard work," she says.