Rage for the Revolution

The organisers believe that it is important to convey the conscious messages of outspoken musicians to youth in order to revitalise the voice of the artist as a vehicle of inspiring and uplifting the masses through their work. “Music has been a strong tool to move social situations for as long as people cared to write down the details. Whether it is Woodstock, Voëlvry or a naked Fela Kuti in the eye of the storm, the tunes have always played an integral part in conveying the message from the streets. And people have listened.”

By inviting a diverse range of musicians to perform at the concert, the organisers sought to unify disparate sub-cultural followings for the common cause of identifying the major social harms affecting youth in South Africa today, and subsequently, addressing those issues using the positive and vibrant rhetoric of music. In addition, the role of 5FM in the organisation of the concert provided a medium for communicating the performances and messages to audiences outside the confines of the Castle of Good Hope.

The event not only aims to create the chance for young artists to spread awareness and encourage people to be cognizant of their social situations, but to provoke youth to ask the question: "What can we do?" “The aim is to create an uplifting opportunity for socially aware musicians to identify some of the true enemies to social harmony and development. Many of the broader socio-economical issues like race- and gender inequality, AIDS, poverty, unfair trade and many others need a firmer understanding and awareness from the youth as this will affect their daily lives for years to come.”

Thus, organisers believe that events such as Rage for the Revolution, will spark a series of open-minded, youth-oriented, socially conscious productions where South African youth will involve themselves directly in their development, and do so in unique and creative ways. “It is funny how everyone hangs on the lips of international acts singing for AIDS or drought relief, but actually most of the battles will have to be fought by us ourselves. So it is great if the South Africans are slowly starting to stand up and doing it for themselves. We really hope this is the start to an annual musical celebration of liberal opinions with far reaching consequences.”

HIV/AIDS, Youth

Rage for the Revolution involved musical artists from a variety of genres, including Rock 'n Roll, Hip hop and punk. All of these genres are regarded as being outspoken, left-of-centre voices for the disenfranchised. Oppikoppi Productions, along with Levi Strauss, TAC and 5FM compiled this diverse list of musicians in an effort "to create a new platform for original and border crossing tunes from South African soil which strike at the heart of social situations confronting people on the street. So from amongst a few enthusiasts the RAGE concept was born, aimed at not letting open-minded border crossing ideals wither. The broad idea was to create a platform for opinionated and socially conscious artists from across the spectrum to join hands in the first ever "Rage for a Revolution" concert planned for February 2005 at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town."