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On 28 September 2025, the Feather Market Centre in Gqeberha pulsed with multilingual song, heartfelt poetry, and joyful rhythm as Nelson Mandela University hosted its annual Isisusa Jazz Festival Concert. This year’s theme, MMM … Isisusa! Jou Lekker Ding!, invited audiences into a celebration that blended heritage, humour, and harmony.
Their Story
The Isisusa Jazz Fest has become a cornerstone of Nelson Mandela University’s cultural calendar, drawing musicians, poets, and comedians into one creative space. What began as a university-driven jazz event has grown into a stage that reflects South Africa’s broad artistic voice.
This year’s edition featured school choirs, a barbershop quartet, an isiXhosa imbongi, an impromptu jazz ensemble, and a touch of Cape-style humour. Together, they reminded audiences that music and storytelling are deeply rooted in the country’s soul.
The Event/Occasion
The 2025 concert carried special weight with a tribute to flugelhorn player Faya Faku, an internationally respected jazz legend who passed away in Switzerland in June. Quartet Moment’s Notice performed two of Faku’s original works, moving the audience with sounds that carried both pride and loss.
Faku was not only a performer but a mentor to young musicians, many of whom credit him for shaping their craft. His final public performance came at the 2024 Isisusa concert on the University’s Summerstrand Campus, a fitting farewell for a man whose life was devoted to music.
Community Reactions
Audience members described the concert as both uplifting and healing. Parents praised the inclusion of school choirs, saying it inspired children to dream big through the arts. Jazz lovers shared that the tribute to Faku felt like a gift to the city of Gqeberha, where his legacy remains strong.
One concert-goer remarked: “It felt like all of South Africa’s voices were on that stage, young and old, serious and playful, local and global.”
The Isisusa Jazz Fest once again proved that music can bridge communities, honour the past, and open doors for the next generation of artists.
