Montreux

Jazz

Festival

joins

forces

with

renowned

SA

artist

to

announce

its

African

debut

History and heritage meet in the Cape Winelands as the Montreux Jazz Festival Franschhoek (MJFSA) — the first-ever Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF) on African soil — reveals the poster that will define its identity this year: a work by South African master artist Sam Nhlengethwa.

Continuing the nearly 60-year-old global MJF tradition of pairing art and music, the Franschhoek festival organisers collaborated with Elana Brundyn, one of SA’s most respected cultural leaders, known for her work in building museums, shaping collections, and redefining how art engages with society across the African continent.

‘It’s a dialogue between sound and image, between Africa and the world,’ says artist Sam Nhlengethwa of the work he created for the poster promoting MJFSA. (MJFSA)

Brundyn invited a select group of South African artists, each chosen for their distinctive voice, to interpret the spirit of the upcoming festival and the global MJF brand. From their submissions, Sam Nhlengethwa’s interpretation was selected for its elegant visual dialogue between music and culture.