SA Grammy winner brings heat to Israeli desert festival

Ignoring the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement’s call for artists to boycott the Jewish state, 2023 Grammy Award winner Zakes Bantwini (born Zakhele Madida) played at a festival in the Negev in Israel in early March, and proudly shared his gigs on social media.

This is the second time that the South African singer, record producer, and businessman has performed in the Jewish state.

“Last year, I was fortunate to be invited to play in Tel Aviv. I had a great time, and formed a good relationship with event promoters there who invited us to perform this year,” he told the SA Jewish Report. “We were happy to oblige. Our second trip was as enjoyable as our first, and we look forward to going out there again. I have a great affection for the people in Israel, and am always pleased to see the extent of cultural and technological advancement, plus the energy of the people and their love for music and our sound.”

He played at one show in the desert to about 3 000 people. “It was a great experience playing at that festival as it was a very diverse and inclusive audience that really enjoyed my music. I performed from 07:30 to 10:00. The crowd was amazing, the experience was very different, and a great time [was had] overall.”

He followed in the footsteps of fellow South African musician and Grammy winner Black Coffee, with whom he has worked, and who also ignored the BDS call to boycott. Bantwini emphasises that he didn’t choose to play in Israel to make a political statement about the conflict or to take sides. Rather, he played there because he was invited to do so and wants to make music for all people to enjoy.

On Instagram, he wrote, “Art has this incredible ability to bring people together – whether we’re admiring it in a gallery or expressing ourselves through it,” alongside joyful images of his gig in the desert, the Desert Weekend – Purim Edition two-day festival, hosted by Music Tel Aviv.

His next post highlighted the Israeli tendency to start partying late in the night and continuing the next morning. Captioning his Instagram reel, he said, “They said, ‘Your set in the desert is at 07:30 – 10:00’. I said you mean pm? They said no sir, am. The party starts at midnight, and ends at 10:00 with your closing set. And the rest is history.” More than 22 000 people liked the post.

A reel followed, showing him arriving in Tel Aviv and then partying in the desert with fans. The clip demonstrated the diversity and freedom of Israeli society, where women and people from all backgrounds are free to dress and express themselves as they choose. As the desert festival was a Purim event, ticket holders had to dress up to gain entry, and they went “all out” in their Purim attire.

Bantwini has a million followers on Facebook and 891 802 followers on Instagram. He shared his videos and photos of his Israel trip on both platforms, which were in turn shared widely by fans on social media.

“The fans enjoyed the music, and I was pleasantly surprised to see just how much they connected with my sound,” he says. “Our music is finally being consumed across the globe, which matters most to me and to the growth of our South African music industry.

“I enjoyed my time in Israel. I look forward to being invited out there again, and thank my supporters and those who make it possible to spread our music far and wide. It’s my hope that my music spreads love and inspires unity and happiness amongst all people.”