Photo Essay by Ihsaan Haffejee

Keabetswe Goodman, who was once a student at Buskaid, gives a lesson to a group of young violin students. Photos: Ihsaan Haffejee

“We’ve survived under so many difficult circumstances but we’ve never been in the situation that we are in now”

Buskaid, the music school based in Diepkloof, Soweto, has overcome many challenges in its 28-year existence. But now, says founder Rosemary Nalden, the school, which hosts the famous Soweto Strings Ensemble, faces its worst challenge yet.

“We’ve survived HIV, we’ve survived Covid, we’ve survived under so many difficult circumstances but we’ve never been in the situation that we are in now. We are at the bottom of our funding and this has never happened in the history of Buskaid,” Nalden told GroundUp.

The project costs between R4.5-million and R5-million a year to run, she said.

Tshidiso Boikanyo shows a young student how to hold his violin.

Nalden, who was born in the UK but now calls South Africa home, started the school in 1997 to provide classical music education to youngsters in Soweto. Over the years she and her team have trained dozens of young players, many of whom are now professional players of string instruments. Some teach at Buskaid, passing on the skills they learned to a new generation of violin, viola, cello and double-bass players.

Learning a string instrument requires high levels of dedication and discipline, with studies showing that it can help brain development.

From left to right, cello players Leano Mahapa, Katlego Nare and Galalestsang Mathobela play during a lesson at Buskaid.

Keabetswe Goodman was a child when she started learning the violin at Buskaid in 1999. Under the guidance of Nalden, she developed into a professional musician and now works at Buskaid as a teacher.

Currently the school has about 80 students but there is a waiting list of around 70 children wanting to join the programme, according to Nalden.

Buskaid founder Rosemary Nalden gives a violin lesson.

The Buskaid String Ensemble has toured internationally dozens of times, and has been identified by UK Gramophone Magazine as one of the world’s 10 most inspirational orchestras, alongside the London Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic. The orchestra has performed for Nelson Mandela, President Cyril Ramaphosa, and Michelle Obama.

Members of the ensemble warm up before a performance at the Linder auditorium.

There are about 30 people on the payroll, including teachers, the musicians at the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble, and other staff.

“We would like to have another intake of kids and increase it to 100 but this requires more funding,” said Nalden.

Tshidiso Boikanyo, the lead violin player with the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble, makes some notes on a sheet of music during a rehearsal before the performance.

Singer Sibongile Mngoma recently performed alongside the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble at their annual concert at the Linder auditorium in Johannesburg.

Mngoma says that grassroots institutions like Buskaid do more for communities than just music education. “A lot of these kids have been saved from a life of crime and addiction. Places like Buskaid allow them to reach their full potential and become the best version of themselves,” said Mngoma.

Buskaid founder Rosemary Nalden conducts the Buskaid Soweto String Ensemble at a concert at the Linder auditorium in Johannesburg.

But the concerts are expensive to put on and Nalden is worried. Since 2022, Buskaid has not had any government funding. The project relies on corporate and philanthropic donations, some of which dried up during Covid. Nalden says new sources of funds are needed for the project to be sustainable.

This article was originally published in GroundUp.