Just in time for the pre-Dezemba season, Night Embassy by Jägermeister and its Creative Board have selected Joburg’s Night Ambassadors!
After reviewing hundreds of incredibly strong and competitive applications to uncover some of the creative community’s most visionary ideas, the boldest concepts have been chosen. Each week, from the 12th of November to the 4th of December, the Ambassadors of the Night are prepared to usher us into the next era of nightlife in Johannesburg with custom experiences and curated activities that foster community through the use of various artforms and mediums.
The Ambassadors have been given a blank canvas to explore their chosen topics and concepts with the support of the Night Embassy Creative Board’s five renowned figures known for their contributions to South Africa’s arts, events and music culture: Veteran event producer, business strategist and venue owner Theresho Selesho; designer, artist and creative director extraordinaire Jana Hamman; LGBTQI+ community pioneer, DJ and content creator Lelowhatsgood; skate scene champion and filmmaker Day Marumo and amapiano centred talent management agency owner Thuli Keupzz.
With the Jägermeister Night Embassy residency programme, centred around Freiraum – a space for unbridled self-expression and unlimited creativity – expect these event visionaries and experience disruptors to take over some of the most iconic and unique spaces in the city this November to unfold some truly wild visions of nightlife for us all!
Your four Ambassador collectives, as selected by the Night Embassy Creative Board, who promise to make their mark through curating memorable experiences this November that are geared to alter the very fabric of the city nightlife landscape are:
Unmuted. by Lincoln Long and Draper
Lincoln Long (he/him) and Draper (he/him) believe Unmuted. is the missing key to levelling the music playing field. Their mantra “Life Is Best Lived Unmuted” speaks to the idea that we’re all muted or unheard to someone and it’s only when we live life unmuted can we give opportunities to the unknown. What started in 2017 as Unmuted. Records, has become a hybrid independent label behind the production of chart storming songs by emerging artists, has now morphed into a network of future-thinking entities including a live/events/tour management and bookings division Unmuted. Live. Unmuted. also have a film and TV division, an online radio station and a clothing brand. On their experience being Night Embassy Ambassadors so far, Unmuted. share:
This has been an absolute dream. Through this experience we have been exposed to so much that we didn’t know and at the same time we’ve been made to feel and be more confident in what we do know. Besides the obvious financial injection, being an ambassador has and is providing us with new ways of thinking and working that we would not have been exposed to.
Other Village People by Andiswa Dlamini and Kefiloe Siwisa
Other Village People (OVP) by Andiswa Dlamini (she/her) and Kefiloe Siwisa (she/her) creates experiences for LGBTQIA+ communities to feel liberated, to live in the truest reflection of self, to connect, to celebrate and find their tribe. Founded in 2016, Other Village People has two queer-focused platforms; SSS (Same Sex Saturday), a party space that runs in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, and Grounded, an intimate series of alternative experiences from hikes to dinners and everything in between. On South African cities and safe spaces for queer folks, Other Village People note:
There is a lack of safer spaces that prioritise LGBTQIA+ communities and within the prevailing heteronormative constructs, LGBTQIA+ are often faced with discrimination, micro aggressions and even hate crimes. Our concept is about creating queer-centered spaces that normalise and celebrate our differences as if it’s always been that way.
Kombonation by Kananelo Kabelo Sello and Kgotso Selomah
Market Photography Workshop graduates Kananelo Kabelo Sello (he/him) and Kgotso Selomah (she/her, they/them) founded Kombonation in 2018. Kombonation is a Soweto-based pre-to-post production start-up, specialising in real and raw visual storytelling. They also create clothing that showcases their photographic skillset, and expresses the narratives that exist within and beyond the photographs.
Kombonation’s mantra is, ‘Together, we do the most. Kaofela Kaofela. One love.’ “Our art is by the kasi, for the kasi, and beyond”, says Kombonation. Night Embassy has given them, “an opportunity for us to create an alternative kasi nightlife experience on a bigger scale. By being Ambassadors of the Night, we get to drive home what’s really important to us – visual literacy.”
DormantYouth by Thelma Ndebele
DormantYouth AKA Thelma Ndebele is a non-binary (they/them) DJ and Master of Architecture (GSA, UJ) whose interest lies in music as an alternative translation of place, as well as an archive of lived space. Their research and observations made at the GSA have culminated in them regarding music as a metric of place, specifically in clubs and event venues that host (sub)cultures that can be identified by the music produced and consumed by said social groups. Speaking about their ideas, Thelma explains:
I want to build architectural structures specifically catering to Joburg nightlife. I want to add interesting physical installations into the club space as an additional layer to the excitement of going out. I think this residency will show an alternative perspective of architecture beyond its technical and formal predisposition. You can expect an installation fit for music, performance and film, nested in an unexpected context
This Saturday in Anthill Maboneng, Night Embassy will host the Night Embassy Launch Party where attendees will meet Joburg’s newly inaugurated Night Ambassadors to get teasers and more information on what’s to come during the November residencies – while they enjoy live performances and ice cold Jägermeister shots, of course! You will be entertained by an interesting collaborative line-up, hear the story of Night Embassy and experience installations inspired by the future of Joburg Nightlife, curated by the Ambassadors.
Jägermeister South Africa’s Culture and Experiential Marketing Manager, Bea Theron, says of the residencies:
Each residency will be tailored to the experience of its participants. With educational lectures, hands-on workshops and expert guidance to help cultivate their career in music, the arts, and events onwards, the programme aims to equip each Ambassador with the inspiration, technical know-how and practical support to transform their creative practice and progress Johannesburg’s nightlife. Under the curatorial direction of each Ambassador, Night Embassy will also be a public showcase of their work, putting them in charge of a day-to-night programme with collaborators and mediums of their choice.
For more information about Night Embassy by Jägermeister, click here or follow @nightembassyjhb on Instagram.
