Good News

BULLETIN 17 September

Good afternoon, here is your Good News:

# Today is International Country Music Day, celebrating one of the world’s most popular genres. Country music has its origins in the rural southern United States and its roots in blues, church, and American folk music. Today is also the birthday of Hank Williams, one of the most influential country music artists of the 20th century. His most popular songs include Hey, Good Lookin’ and Your Cheatin’ Heart. The world’s best country music artists include Dolly Parton, Tim McGraw, Willie Nelson, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, and Shania Twain.

# A collaborative group of distinguished local artists, Mzansi Jikelele, will represent South Africa at the InterVision Music Contest in Russia on Saturday. The group, which will join participants from 22 other countries in this multicultural celebration, will perform an original composition titled Home. South Africa’s presence will be further strengthened by renowned vocalist, poet, and activist Ntsiki Mazwai, who has been selected to serve on the international jury panel. Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, says Mzansi Jikelele represents the resilience, diversity, and talent of South Africans.

# Tshwane University of Technology’s Department of Performing Arts senior lecturer and acclaimed jazz pianist, Roland Moses, has been invited to the Villa-Lobos Institute within the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. He will conduct masterclasses, workshops, community engagement initiatives and a concert performance. TUT says the masterclasses will address the musical heritage of South Africa, with a particular focus on its rhythmic and harmonic languages, and their intersection with jazz improvisation and performance practice. 

# Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, and Karol G will headline the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, America. It will be the first headliner set in the Californian desert for all three artists. Carpenter will take to the stage on Friday with Bieber and Karol G set to headline on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Other acts for North America’s largest music festival include the Strokes, Young Thug, Addison Rae, Nine Inch Noize, and FKA twigs. About 250-thousand fans are expected to attend.

# And finally: Three Conservation Management students from Mandela University’s George Campus were recognised at the Southern Africa Wildlife Management Association Conference. Elizabeth Kennedy Overton was awarded the Best PhD Speed Presentation for Tracking Cheetahs: quantifying hunting success through an age-old tracking method. The Best MSc Full Talk award went to Yasmin Markides for Modelling functional dispersal corridors to Malawian protected areas for African wild dog and lion. Marna Visagie’s presentation on large carnivores was the runner-up: MSc Full Talk.

Stay tuned for more news………….