Welcome to the 8th edition of The Greedy Weekend! What is the Greedy Weekend you might ask? Well, it's a new column where we discuss and review some of the weekend events, that we would've attended. It really should've been a podcast but you know web hosting is way cheaper than microphones. So here we are with our round-up of the weekend ending Sunday, 6 April 2025.
SOKE
I often wonder what it means to be African? A question that a thousand different answers, yet what comes to mind most times is the richness of a culture and a steadfast defiance despite the challenges. A continent of 54 countries, 3,000 tribes and as many languages, the African identity is widely diverse but there's so much that unites us.
Named after the Yoruba word meaning "rise up," SOKE is a rallying call to celebrate who we are. Dedicated to celebrating everything African, it is a music/lifestyle event that moves to it's own unique rhythm and revels in a colourful palette of fashion that is distinctly African. Born in Capetown a decade ago, SOKE has now begun spreading it's wings across southern Africa.
Having made it's international debut in Harare last year, the event once again graced Zimbabwe's capital this past weekend. The theme, A TOUCH OF AFRICA, received countless interpretations that made the Zimbabwean German Society a kaleidoscope of fabric. While a healthy audience was in attendance, something about SOKE still made it feel intimate.
There was a well curated mini market of African fashion with Boubou Babe, Malana Studios, Runako Brands and Machuma Accessories all showcasing their wares. The food stalls didn't quite offer the same variety and a quarter chicken the size of my fist left me cursing myself for not going with something traditional.
However just the atmosphere at SOKE more than made up for the minor disappointments (alcohol prices included). To try and capture would be difficult, but the air was carefree with the promise of good times coming soon - and they certainly arrived.
As the afternoon began we were serenaded with sounds of kizomba, this was followed by a nostalgic hour of Urban Grooves that had the audience breaking out in song, the tempest of Afro house came next and by it's the crowd had filled out the dance floor.
The SOKE set saw us crisscrossing southern African with rhumba, sungura, kalindula and Zimdancehall. The sounds of Awilo Longomba had waisting revolving in motion and when Enzo Ishall's "Magate" came on, it was an 8.6 on the richter scale.
As the time for amapiano's log drum arrived, the audience was awash with SOKE's ingenious placards (I would've taken one home, but the last time I did the next morning ndakazonzi "Tolaminater here macertificate enyu ekubhawa?"). The soulful side of the sound was dominant and that flowed into Afrobeats and then finally an exclamation point of Uhuru house.
SOKE's second episode in Harare had come and gone, in what felt like the blink of an eye. A melting pot of culture, where the MC can say "[Insert random southern African nationality] are you there?" and the response is almost raucous. A welcome break from the monotony of the our usual music events.
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