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| Yvonne Chaka Chaka |
THE power that is the Princess of Africa cannot be stopped.This month Yvonne Chaka Chaka celebrates her 50th birthday, 30 years in the industry, 10 years as a United Nations Children's Fund goodwill ambassador and a new show.
She performed in Kenya last week as part of her celebrations before going on to Ethiopia and will be returning to perform at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival at the end of the month.
"I've started with the rehearsals, but it is a hectic month plus I have my celebration at the Lyric Theatre the following day," she says. Her show on March 28 will feature some of the friends she's worked with in her lengthy career.
"This will not be an Yvonne affair only. I was with other artists when growing up." Names such as MarcAlex, Phumi Maduna of Cheek to Cheek fame, Ebony and PJ Powers can be expected on the night she celebrates her glittering career.
Boasting 30 years' experience in the entertainment industry, it comes as no surprise that Chaka Chaka sits comfortably as the chairwoman of the Cultural Creative Industries Federation of South Africa (CCIFSA), which advances the needs of young artists and creatives.
Chaka Chaka, a mother figure to many in the industry, is the outgoing head of CCIFSA. A new committee will be chosen in elections in Bloemfontein on Monday and Tuesday.
"Only a few in the creative industry get funding, while most struggle to make ends meet. That's why we don't have bargaining power to influence policymakers. There was no federation for the Generations actors, hence what happened," Chaka Chaka says, citing the case of the actors who were fired after asking for more money and royalties.
"That would not have happened if there was a federation. You wouldn't hear stories of a legendary musician such as Mahlathini dying without money when he played at sold-out concerts during his time.
"We need to make sure that creatives have social grants. We need to be educated in the sector." Sowetanlive
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