Global jazzwomen festival 2023
South Africa, 2023
In 2023, the Global JazzWomen Festival was held in South Africa. Women across all age groups gathered to learn and teach music. REVA founder Jessica Jones led workshops along with Sibongile Buda, and other mentors to bring together female jazz musicians and students from all over the world. The result was an osmosis of knowledge across cultures, generations, and borders. Bass, brass, string, and percussion students and professionals worked together to create music.
The limited access to music education in South Africa made this event special for attendees like saxaphonist Andriana L. Kgosiemang.
“The four of us are the only female saxophones in the country.”
Why Global JazzWomen?
2023 attendee Andriana L. Kgosiemang shared her experience of the festival in a recent interview, stating that she is one of four female saxophone players in her home country Botswana. The following is her response after being asked about the importance of having the Global JazzWomen Festival.
“It's definitely very, very, important. I've had the support and the means to be in the music industry since I was a kid. because my mom was like, Hey, you wanna do this? Sure. Go ahead and do it. So for me it was easier. But it's always amazing when you then have women like Jessica who come and be like, hey, this is what we're doing in New York. This is what we're doing in South Africa. This is what's happening. And there's always so much you can learn about their experiences versus our experiences because the music industry, this side is not as big as it is in America.”