News
Red Rhythms Rocks Cape Town
December 5, 2008 (Cape Town, South Africa) - From November 27th to December 1st, ConsciousFlowz hosted Red Rhythms, a World AIDS Day event at Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront. Red Rhythms was designed as an inclusive event that would use music to raise awareness for the country’s HIV/AIDS pandemic while promoting different organizations, programs, and providing free on-site testing.
The goals of the event went beyond simply putting on a concert. ConsciousFlowz wanted to use this platform to distribute relevant information and create community participation. We partnered with established organizations loveLife, The Treatment Action Campaign, AIDS Resource Center, NewStart, YMCA, and the Amy Biehl Foundation to create a broad and balanced audience. Cape Town’s largest radio station, Good Hope FM, was the media sponsor and broadcast the music as well as interviews throughout the event.
Red Rhythms kicked off on November 27th with a 100 Hour DJ Marathon featuring three of South Africa’s top DJs (Ready D, Eazy, and Azuhl) and ConsciousFlowz own Akio Kawahito. During this time, the DJs literally lived on stage to ensure that the music played non-stop for 100 hours. Everyday, there were two live performances featuring local talent and youth followed by speeches from a government official or health organization representative.
On December 1st, the DJ Marathon ended and the World AIDS Day live concert began. Headlining the acts was South African Music Awards winner Claire Phillips. The concert also featured performances by Chad Saaiman, The Road Less Traveled, and Sneaker Box (with Stephen Richardson on drums).
The Red Rhythms Youth Council also performed their tracks from the Conscious Connectionz project before delivering a challenge to close out the concert. Red Rhythms concluded with an inspiring candlelight vigil, which represented all the South Africans currently living with HIV/AIDS.
Tolerance and Art
November 20, 2008 (Cape Town, South Africa) - ConsciousFlowz partnered with SONKE Gender Justice to create an art based anti-xenophobia project in the Khayelitsha Township. This project featured the use of graffiti as the inspiration for youth and community based discussion on the issue of tolerance and acceptance of people of other religion, color, and nationality.
In 2008, xenophobic violence swept through South Africa as a backlash to increased crime and unemployment. Immigrants from neighboring Zimbabwe and Mozambique were the hardest hit as residents were forced to flee their communities in the wake of looting and murders. Re-integration has been slow, as many immigrants have returned to their communities only to find animosity remains.
This project targeted the community by reaching out to the youth to create a visible message that this type of behavior is wrong. Three schools were targeted for workshops on tolerance. These messages were then reinforced through art using two practical workshops on the creation of graffiti. Administered by internationally recognized graffiti artist Falko and ConsciousFlowz Director Akio Kawahito, students were taught how to create stencils and use spray paint cans. These tools were then used to create t-shirts with positive slogans and messages that could be taken home and worn within the community to promote discussion on the topic.
On the weekend, students returned to the school and worked together to create a large mural on the school walls promoting unity and peace. These murals were created publicly to draw attention to the issue and remain after the project as a constant reminder to youth and adults about the issue of tolerance.
Conscious Connectionz Results
August 2, 2008 (Cape Town, South Africa) - ConsciousFlowz is proud to show the results of the Conscious Connectionz project. These results were calculated using questionaires 4 months after the completion of the workshops.
-Students that participated in Conscious Connectionz increased their HIV/AIDS knowledge by an average of 11%.
-71% of sexually active learners’ behaviour has change since attending the workshops (i.e. practicing safe sex, abstinence).
-68% of non-sexually active learners are now more likely to consider abstinence since attending the workshops.
-53% of learners discussed HIV/AIDS with 2 to 5 people.
-83% of learners discussed HIV/AIDS with their friends.
-71% of learners discussed HIV/AIDS with their family.
Be Heard! Concert Lights Up Cape Town!
“I’m Gonna Sing, Sing My Melody,
I Won’t Worry Bout What the Others Tellin Me”
May 11, 2008 (Cape Town, South Africa) - ConsciousFlowz concluded the Conscious Connectionz project with Be Heard!, a concert showcasing the participants from four Cape Town high schools.
Be Heard! featured performances by Sneaker Box (Stephen Richardson on drums), Eavesdrop, MPRVS (Jason Johnson), DJ Azhul, DJ Cue, DJ Intelligent Design (Akio Kawahito), and the Conscious Connectionz B-Boy Crew. The event was hosted by Tyrone Da Silva and spotlighted the top entries in the Lyrical Challenge.
The show was filled with high energy as students from each of the schools preformed their original song or poem. The house band, Sneaker Box, kept the crowd jamming between acts and the DJs provided the beats that had the students on their feet.
In the finals of the Lyrical Challenge, Amanda Bonani survived on stage jitters to take home first prize and 5,000 Rand. Amanda’s school, Heideveld High, will also receive 5,000 Rand to support continuing education.
The show was closed out with an original piece composed by Jason Johnson called “My Melody”. This song included all the students that participated in the Lyrical Challenge on stage performing the chorus.
Represented in attendance was the German Embassy, Artscape, the Western Cape Music Association, Human Economic Development Consultants, Music Therapy, University of Cape Town, MTN, and Pioneer Records.
4 School Winners Announced!
MAY 1, 2008 (Cape Town, South Africa) - ConsciousFlowz would like to congratulate the 4 school winners from the Conscious Connectionz project. Each of these students will win 500 Rand and have the opportunity to compete for 5,000 Rand in the Be Heard! concert on May 10.
Heideveld High School - Amanda Bonani
Andile Junior Secondary School - Mdakana Lwando
Lentegeur High School - Sindiswa “MP” Tsapa
Kensington High School - Ayesha Mohamed
Listen to the Top 3 From Each School!
New Website Up!!! WWW.CCZ.CO.ZA
MARCH 20, 2008 (Cape Town, South Africa) - Checkout our new website at www.ccz.co.za to get more information on Conscious Connectionz. You will be able to access photos, students bios, and student recordings from throughout the project!
Voices of the Youth: ConsciousFlowz unleashes the Mobile Recording Studio for the 3rd Phase.
MARCH 20, 2008 (Cape Town, South Africa) - ConsciousFlowz brought the mobile recording studio to Heideveld High School on Saturday, March 15 to give students the opportunity to express themselves through the Lyrical Challenge.
Every student that attended the workshops was challenged to create an original poem, song, or rap that describes:
1.How has HIV/AIDS affected your life and community?
2.How has the knowledge learned (self-confidence, values, etc..) affected your life choices?
The top entries were invited back to record over original beats with guidance from professional musicians. Each school will produce one winner that will take home a cash prize of 500 Rand.
While the students were waiting to be recorded, ConsciousFlowz took this time to further engage with the students and reinforce the messages given during the workshops.
Phase 2 of Conscious Connectionz Finished!!!
MARCH 17, 2008 (Cape Town, South Africa) - ConsciousFlowz concluded the workshop phase of the Conscious Connectionz project on Thursday March 6th at Lentegeur High School. Two workshops were conducted at each of the four participating schools on topics such as values clarification, self confidence, sex/sexuality, nutrition, health, and safe sex. Each of these topics were then brought together within the context of HIV/AIDS.
All workshops took an interactive approach which addressed both common misconceptions of the virus as well as those specific to each classroom. Our staff used an open forum along with debate to allow the students to express their thoughts while learning our curriculum.
Your Voice, Your Choice: Conscious Connectionz Tour kicks off with performances at 4 Cape Town High Schools.
MARCH 1, 2008 (Cape Town, South Africa) - ConsciousFlowz introduced Conscious Connectionz, an interactive HIV/AIDS awareness project, to 4 Cape Town High Schools.
The performances were hosted by Tyrone “Eazy” DaSilva (Faculty of Hip Hop) and delivered a message of hope while challenging the student’s current knowledge on HIV/AIDS.
As the show began, students watched 4 of Cape Town’s top Break Dancers before giving way to a turntablism exhibition by DJs Azuhl (Faculty of Hip Hop) and Cue.
ConsciousFlowz’ own Jason Johnson (MPRVS) then teamed with Cape Town’s Eavesdrop to perform the song, “Your Voice, Your Choice” to emphasize the key to each person’s lives rests within their own hands.
The overwhelming excitement caused by the performances is the catalyst to encourage students to participate in the following phases.
