Over 400 students attended the student-organised Nexus Festival at Goldfields Residence at Stellenbosch University (SU) held towards the end of February, said David Motsi, one of the organisers of the event. This was despite various challenges, including the SU’s recent ban on alcohol, an alternative set-list and other administrative issues.
The aim of the arts and music festival, hosted by A.R.T.S. Entertainment in association with the Bachelor of Arts Student Committee, was to bring people together said Masedi Mathe, the student behind the Nexus Festival and founder of A.R.T.S. Entertainment.
“Nexus means connecting. The main thing I wanted to make sure we do with Nexus is to connect people to the [urban] culture,” Mathe said.
The organisers expected between 300 and 400 people, but the event sold out, said Motsi. This was despite the challenges.
“It was difficult to get [permission and permits] from the university. It took three months,” said Motsi.
Other challenges, as mentioned above, included weather conditions and the SU’s alcohol ban, especially since the event was sponsored by Desperado, an alcoholic beverage company.
“There were students who came to the door with alcohol and we turned them back. They were not allowed into the venue with alcohol,” said Matshe. “Our sponsor was very understanding and respected [the ban]. We turned away around 60 people [who brought] alcohol,” Motsi added.
SU student Karl Lobi said he was excited to attend the festival, as it catered to an urban music market which is not usually showcased in Stellenbosch. “It was essentially the first of its kind in the sense that it was more focused around black culture in Stellenbosch,” said Lobi.
“I thought it was so beautiful as I can’t think of a lot [of events] which cater to that sort of music,” said one of the performers at the festival, Nopi Mubaiwa.