On Wednesday, 23 September, the voices of 326 young South Africans will fill Curro Wilgeheuwel High School as the second edition of Ke Nako! Festival of Voices brings together learners from 12 Curro schools across Gauteng for an evening of music, culture and storytelling.
Taking place during Heritage Month, this year’s festival returns under the theme “Intsha Inamandla”, celebrating the strength, influence and potential of young people.
But Ke Nako! is more than a school concert. It is an opportunity for young people to share their stories, perspectives and experiences through music, creating a collective expression of who they are, where they come from and what it means to be South African.
Leading this year’s edition is Lisa Dowds, Executive Head of Curro Wilgeheuwel, who has taken up the vision first set in motion by her predecessor: one that imagined voices flowing like streams, joining to form a river. This year, that vision grows, moving outdoors, opening the experience to a wider audience and creating an atmosphere that feels less like a formal concert and more like a homecoming.
What sets the festival apart is its focus on expression rather than competition. These are not formal choir performances judged solely on precision; they are young voices sharing stories, experiences and perspectives that matter.
‘It’s about opening the doors wider,’ says Dowds. ‘We’ve moved outdoors, which brings a completely different energy. Families can come along, relax and experience something that feels distinctly South African. This year, each school will perform twice, giving every learner more space to be heard and celebrated, with a mix of traditional and contemporary South African songs chosen to reflect identity, resilience and hope.’
Together, these performances create a musical tapestry that carries the stories of Gauteng’s communities across time and place. Traditional sounds meet contemporary voices, bringing together different experiences while celebrating the pride, resilience and possibility of a new generation.
The evening builds towards a shared moment of unity, when all 326 learners come together for one closing anthem. It is a fitting culmination of a festival centred on the idea that strength can be found not in sameness, but in the diversity of the voices that make up our country.
In this sense, Ke Nako! is more than an event. It is an assertion that music can be a language every child understands: an innate and positive form of self-expression, whether joyful or sorrowful. In a world often divided, these young voices remind us that heritage is not about preserving the past in amber, but about carrying forward the best of who we are while embracing who we can become.
‘We want people to leave inspired, and we want them to leave with hope,’ concludes Dowds. ‘We want every young person on that stage to feel proud to be South African, and for our audiences to walk away having experienced the true culture, diversity, vibrancy, energy and strength that our young people carry.’
Ke Nako! Festival of Voices takes place on 23 September from 18:00 to 20:00 at Curro Wilgeheuwel High School, Vintage Street, Wilgeheuwel, Roodepoort, 1724.
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