Jazz Fest: Where legacy meets tomorrow

For others, it is the sound of resistance, a voice when words fail, a melody infused with pain and hope. For me, jazz is freedom.

- RAYHAAN SURVÉ

It is a global language that crosses borders, cultures, and time zones, one that speaks of unity, memory, and possibility.

The legacy of jazz is inseparable from humanity's most defining struggles and triumphs. From its beginnings in New Orleans in the 20th century to its arrival and integration with Marabi in South Africa, jazz has always stood as both witness and participant in history.

Viewed by the apartheid regime as subversive, jazz was heavily policed, censored, and pushed underground. Musicians and gatherings were targeted, yet the music endured, in townships and homes, becoming a symbol of unity and resistance.

Icons like Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Abdullah Ibrahim, Caiphus Semenya, and Letta Mbulu carried the torch of liberation through their music that captured both the pain of oppression and the dream of a free South Africa.