“We Are The Money” Movement: Pioneering Township Arts & Creative Economies– A New Chapter with Smoking Dragon Festivals

“We Are The Money” Movement: Pioneering Township Arts & Creative Economies – A New Chapter with Smoking Dragon Festival

Johannesburg, South Africa, September 2024 — We Are The Money, a dynamic movement born out of Soweto, is set to embark on a groundbreaking journey, cementing its role as a transformative force within South Africa’s creative landscape. Our upcoming pilgrimage to the legendary Smoking Dragon Festival this New Year’s Eve is not just a moment of triumph for township and rural artists—it is the beginning of an enduring partnership that will elevate marginalized voices and redefine creative economies in South Africa.

Founded on the principles of unity, mutual support, and township empowerment, We Are The Money has spent years fostering a network of creators who actively share skills, resources, and platforms. Our mission is simple but profound: we believe that the arts, music, and culture can heal communities and uplift economies, and that by investing in ourselves and one another, we become the very engines of our collective success.

A New Chapter: “We Are The Money” x Smoking Dragon Festival

We are thrilled to announce our collaboration with the prestigious Smoking Dragon Festival, where We Are The Money will be curating an exclusive stage. This marks not only a significant achievement for our movement but also the start of a continuous relationship that promises to create more opportunities for township and rural artists to shine on global platforms.

Our stage at Smoking Dragon - “RED ALERT” will be the official stamp of arrival. Its where there will be a celebration of homegrown talent, featuring an eclectic mix of live performances, visual arts, and cultural exhibitions. This pilgrimage is part of a broader mission: to build a circuit of creative experiences across township South Africa, starting in Johannesburg and expanding outward. Our line-up will feature some of the most authentic show-stoppers of our time the likes of, Ms Funkedellic, Siza Nkosi, Lerato Phiri, Dollarman Masaka, Gift Nkomo, Izangoma Zezulu, Njabz, Drain Brain Experience, Soul Gumede, Sthokzo, Shadee Infinity, Dr. Equinox Funkie Freddie and many more. Our incredible deejays include Dj Flex, Scratch Tuesday, Bio Mechanikal Dj Makeshyft, Vinyl Vine & many more here as well. 

Road to Smoking Dragon: Join the Journey

In the lead-up to Smoking Dragon, we will be hosting a series of events and activations under the “Road to Smoking Dragon” campaign. These include creative showcases at Emagine Audiovisual headquarters and Urban Zulu, where the public, artists, and sponsors are invited to experience the energy, passion, and vision that fuels We Are The Money.

This journey is more than a moment; it is a movement. It signals the beginning of a continuous transition, where township creatives work hand-in-hand with platforms like Smoking Dragon to forge sustainable careers in the arts. We invite everyone—creatives, businesses, and supporters—to join us, contribute, and become part of this revolution in South African culture.

Your involvement helps us cover logistical and administrative costs while empowering our artists. To make this vision a reality, we urge you to purchase your tickets to Smoking Dragon and support the artists who will take center stage in a performance unlike any other.

About “We Are The Money”

We Are The Money is a township-based movement that believes in building economies from within. Our collective of creatives from Soweto and beyond actively shares resources, knowledge, and platforms to create self-sustaining opportunities for one another. We advocate for a working group economics model that celebrates creativity, unity, and self-empowerment.

LEND A HAND TO A GREENER FUTURE!

GET YOUR TICKET TODAY ON THE FOLLOWING LINK, OR SCAN THE QR CODE

RED ALERT TICKET PLUG

For press inquiries, artist participation, sponsorships, or more information on how to support the movement, please contact us at:

We Are The Money 

Phone: +27 69 248 4230 / +27 (63) 008-1839

Facebook: 

We Are The Money

Instagram:

@wearethemoneygroup

We Are The Money – The revolution is priceless, at all costs.

We Are The Money - Smoking Dragon

 

Amplify the Unheard: Support Township Creatives at Smoking Dragon Festival

On Behalf of the We Are The Money Collaborators 

We came together and created an event circuit that is to work together in creating creative experiences across the different available spaces in township-SA, beginning with Johannesburg and its peripheries. 

In our short existence, we have been invited to expand on our enterprising by creating an unforgettable experience - through curating one of the 7 world-class stages at Smoking Dragon (New Years Eve) Festival. Is proof of us having a thriving movement, at the same time, at test. We believe we are ready, and that it is time. 

Join us in sparking a creative revolution! This year, we’re bringing township and rural artists to the forefront at South Africa’s largest music festival, Smoking Dragon. With your help, we can make this a game-changing moment for the arts. Purchase your ticket today and directly support our efforts to cover all logistical and administrative costs, ensuring our movement thrives and dignifies the talent of underrepresented communities.

We kick-off our activations on the 5th of September at the all amazing Urban Zulu roof top in Marshalltown, with a great installation of music through both digital and analogue mediums from the most amazing of DJs including the legendary dj Flex of the Dungeon Shack crew. Arts, Music literature and permaculture will be a huge part of the days observation. Come connect and share positive vibration towards an opportunity for unity again.

Then, on the 27th of September will be celebrating the birthday of Dr. Equinox at the Emagine Audiovisual headquarters in Dlamini. We will be celebrating heritage in our creative style. Musical performances, exhibitions and much more will be explored to bring about the great spirit - which to carry us to do something together that we can be proud of. 

The festival runs for an incredible 5 days this year, from the 27th December to the 1st of January 2025 and we are heavily on the drawing boards to bring about an incredible program like never seen before. 

Before the festival arrives, we will be putting all out thoughts on raising funds through this “Road To Snoking Dragon” campaign. While will still be building our line-up, we have and are still planning more activations to meet, engage and create with you. We hope to hear from you through the ways that we will continue to make available.

GENERAL TICKETS  will go up in price

  as the different phases are sold out

*EARLY BIRD = R500

19th July - 30th August 

* FIRST PHASE = R750

31st August - 5th October 

* SECOND PHASE = R850

6th October - 10th November 

*FINAL PHASE = R950

11th November -  27th December

🎟️ Buy your tickets now and be part of a movement that empowers township creatives. Every ticket you buy directly funds our cause!

#WeAreTheMoney #AmplifyTheUnheard #SupportTownshipCreatives #SmokingDragonFestival #CreativeRevolution #BuyTicketsSupportArts

“Poetry Will Save Me”

“Poetry Will Save Me”

We are prompted daily to say these words from a laced script, delivered in a great beat. Now the question is whether-or-not a tape is in the making? Please have the courtesy to say Siiz, coz that would be appreciated greatly. This is my intro to echo in the amazing spirit of this Goddess of a lady. Anything else as replacement is possibly even crazy. This moment is the most important thing in space. Believe and see it, is a chief embrace. Piece of cake of anyone carrying a name meaning “Praise”. To God, Her Majesty, His Grace. UyaSiza Nkosi, hence the people pray.

We have so quickly become fans of Siza Nkosi’s voice in poetry that the whole journey is nothing short of a scholarly experience – a timeless gift to any who has any level of a relationship with words. One thing that magnifies our adoration for her spirit is her usage of poetry to explore space and vacate from tradition. She gives us the view of poetry in the same breath as graffiti has been for painters. They just occupy any space they deem needs it. No matter the reasoning behind it, they take their position and exist, complete as they are. This is an admirable trait in any kind of setting. We do share in the belief that poetry is more a tool for engagement than the uses that have found themselves in the way of the modern poet.

Siza Nkosi is a poet known to stretch the boundaries of convention to acute limits, while looking as innocent as a butterfly on a sunflower. Founder of the House of Siza, teacher of creative writing at Sol Plaatje University in the Northern Cape, representative at the UNESCO culture sector committee, among a myriad of other contribution positions in service to the majestic literary legacy of African people. She is a magnetic marvel in practically any space she occupies. She is indeed a total manifestation of the power of words in creating worlds.

So, whether on stage slashing multi-linguistic mastery on the microphone, or with a band. A jazz band, then a rock band. Or perhaps killing a “Griselda Type Beat”, sometimes she may read from her laptop. If not that, she’ll be reading from her anthology – Ugrand Malume – which has her in studio collaborating with some of the greatest musicians of our time. You shouldn’t be surprised to see her rocking in the belly of the big hole in Kimberly. This Soweto born giantess thrives in connecting people and spaces in her usage of words as the glue of preference - effortlessly so.  We therefore thought it great to share this amazing piece of her work in an exhibition room at the Big Hole Museum.

A Big Hole in A People's Soul

Show some black love to this amazing creative genius as we grow with her on this important, vastly spiritual journey. Support a “Black Genie-US” in her process of becoming. Through ourselves, we heal ourselves.

One Love

D. Quavers.

Remember to get yourself a Ugrand Malume book, t-shirt or hoody. The prices are listed below:

 

Book: R150

T-shirts: R250

Hoody: R440

FACEBOOK: 

Siza Nkosi

House of Siza

INSTAGRAM

@siza.nkosi

FAMILY:

WE ARE THE MONEY

Photos courtesy of:

Hugh Mdlalose

Dumisani Radebe

Siza Nkosi

All Rights Reserved by:

The Black Genie-US Group

 

EAVCRATES EPISODE 2 A MASTER'S CLASS with Bra Khaya Mahlangu

 

The inter-generational cultural exchange dialogue has become a well settled concept in the popular, creative world and yet, the results are yet to show proof of a realized understanding. Besides our love for talking about this understanding of such and other positive ideals, we survive by sounding cool and turning around and living as if that’s enough. Unfortunately, coolness has a random expiry date.

We now know that without action, there can be no revolution, nothing changes. Well, all accept where EAV is concerned. The value of self-knowledge is critical to our principles – which are rooted in the restoration of dignity, self-awareness, & prosperity. These ideals cannot be reached with an understanding of how we’ve come to be. That we will find in listening to and studying great teachers like uBabu Bra Khaya Mahlangu – a national treasure in music. 

The role uBab Khaya has and is playing in the South African & greater global, major & independent music scenes is a combination of phenomenal, humble, generous and highly developmental one. It is one of an unfathomable magnitude. Whether it be through gifts of the household South African jazz classics, teaching young musicians to play, make a living and even go on to becoming superstars of the live music scenes, ubaba has given a fair share of his life in support of others. Myself and many friends included. All with a humble and joyful spirit. A true father in our jazz spheres.

HE is why we as EAV can speak a different conversation when it comes to inter-generational engagement. We speak from a place of using what we have to do what we can – in the knowledge that it is what we do, and not what we think that stands out. Here is our father giving himself to a moment in history, where all he stands to gain is the ears of the present audience. However, what is more evident in his poise is that he is happy doing just this. This a factor we hold in high regard.

Check him out here in a tape made at Native Rebel with the Peanut Butter & Jam Band – a movement that was first to be documented by EAV –playing the famous “Yakhal Inkomoi by Winston Mankunku. This is a documentation of an inter-generational, instrumental and sonic dialogue between a father and his sons. There are great lessons here.

One Love

Dumisani Radebe. 

ENJOY THE VIDEO HERE:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNHQuGUagew

 

A NEW INDUSTRY IS BORN

CALL ALL GUADIANS OF HIP HOP

In the spirit of Hip Hop's original purpose, we invite all who embody it's true spirit to come and share a celebratory moment of it's ultimate revival. Working together with everyone who is willing to believe in themselves, and in black people in general as the creative power that fuels the world - we are walking upon the ideals of a unified African community, economy and nation. Hip Hop has granted us this power and we are gravitating.

This is the first edition of the Dungeon Shack (ONE MAN) Show  - a live performance mechanism that is and has been - among others - upholding the survival of Hip Hop in the township of Soweto from the origin days of Hip Hop public performance. Through the legendary Dj Flex, many who would like to experience the culture are still able to so, and can now even build together towards an accountable future. Our collaboration begins as a revolutionary step forward, with the creators of creative work at the forfront of its ownership, while we ourselves cultivate the industry in which it will exist and be exchanged - from scratch. We believe that if the powers that be can exploit us, it must be that we can do it ourselves. At least this time we are in the boardroom and hace a say, however small the scale. 

To kick this edition off, we begin with our very own @SDMZN - an artist whom we've shelved here at EAV while looking for a suitable manager for him. We've only been doing so because we believ so much in that we would rather hand him over to a manager who is dedicated to that exact job. Hailing all the way from KwaZulu Natal - Newcastle/Empangeni, SDMZN one of the most talented lyricists and songmakers in native tonge. Although his work may be categorized in mainsteam boxes as KasiRap/Drill/Trap - he himself would rather it be called Nguni Rap. If you love super lyrical, smart, inspirational music, then be sure that coming to the show will be one of the best decisions you'll ever made about spending your day.

SDMZN will be supported on stage but other such amazing lyirical craftsment of Soweto such as the hot Kasi Rap duo - Izangoma ZeZulu, Jaz, Sovereign, Shadee Infinity and many other just to name a few. The show will be kicked-off by an open mic session where willing participants are invited to perform a track each for one hour before the main performance, and anyone is invited.

The ambiance will be curated by master connosiers of Hip Hop who've been holding it down from time immemorial till todate. On the decks, are people if whom you don't know, you have to do your research. We will grace with the amazing hands like Dj Zakes of Splash Jam, Dj Flex, Mr C, Biomechanikal, Dj Hi Hats, Big Mic and other great brothers that would make you feel like we're bragging if mentioned them all. 

We trust that, as always we will have a peaceful splendor at the great venue that has welcomed Hip Hop with the warmest hands - Gambu Pallace in Mofolo Village on the Saturday of March, which is the 2nd. Please follow the details of the flyer to find out how to get there. 

In the spirit of developing a self-funded, ownership central income stream for a better creative experience for all, please know that we welcome donations of any kind though aligned with our course.  We lok forward to seeing you at the show.

Thank you in advance.

#dungeonshack1852 #02MARCH2024 #thankyoumeansdanko #ForTheLoveOfHipHop #wearethemoney #hiphopculture #EAV #southafricanhiphopclub