Mozambique’s More Promotions celebrates International Jazz Day

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Mozambique’s More Promotions celebrates International Jazz Day

2:12 CAT | 30 Apr 2018

“Jazz belongs to everyone. It has roots in Africa, but it belongs to the world. That is why every year on April 30 we celebrate International Jazz Day.” So says Moreira Chonguiça, arguing that jazz is one of the few languages on the planet that has accompanied the human being for several years.

So, as it has for the last two years, More Promotions is holding social and cultural events in Maputo today to keep the event alive. The first will be a visit to the oncology department of Maputo Central Hospital (HCM), where Moreira Chonguiça, in the company of More Jazz Big Band and artists will play musical chords of a therapeutic nature for patients hospitalised there.

Starting at 3:00 p.m., two songs will be played, but, says Chonguiça, the therapeutic effect will also benefit the artists involved.

“If jazz enjoys the status and prestige it does at the global level, it is because of its relevance. People can use rhythm to have fun, some people dance, meditate… . It’s the best therapy a human being can have.”

After the visit to the HCM, the musicians will play and march along the avenues of the country’s capital, starting at the corner of 24 de Julho and Julius Nyerere Avenues. The musical procession will proceed as far as the Pizza Hut, where the entourage will break for pizza and to talk about jazz, literature and culture in a relaxed atmosphere.

More Promotions sees its International Jazz Day activities as a social responsibility gesture, intended to provide opportunities conducive to raising awareness of the values that music and rhythm exalt: inclusion, of race, gender and age.

In addition to the activities scheduled for Monday, More Promotions will stage a free concert in Café Acácia in Maputo from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on May 5 (Saturday), to attract the participation of the largest possible number of children, so that the values of jazz carry forward into the future.

A subtle project to create new musicians? Moreira Chonguiça explains: “In no way is the More Jazz Big Band a space to create musicians. No, that’s not it. More Jazz is a space where young people play the guitar or the saxophone and make art, in general, and jazz, in particular, a resource that allows them to be better people. We conceive of jazz as a platform for inclusion, where respect for ourselves and the other is cherished. Through jazz, we exmplify the values of humanity.”

For over three years More Promotions has partnered with UNESCO to complement projects like More Jazz and the International Jazz Festival. “This partnership has legitimized the work we’ve been doing with young people like Big Band and workshops across the country,” Chonguiça says.

From the saxophonist’s perspective, Mozambique is producing fantastic jazz artists. “And most important is that, if you are talking about jazz, people are playing, practising, thinking and expanding the musical genre. We are on a good path,” he enthuses.

Proof of this is the recent nomination of the album “M&M” by Moreira Chonguiça and Manu Dibango in the South African Music Award’s “Best African Artist Album” category.

By José dos Remédios