Global jazzwomen festival - symposium 2023
South Africa & Botswana, August 2023
In March 2023, the Global JazzWomen Festival was held in South Africa. The momentum was such, that in August (Women’s month in South Africa), the Global JazzWomen Symposium was held at Wits University in Johannesburg as well as activities at CampHer in Botswana, organized by the partners in Africa - Sibongile Buda, of JCFI Mamelodi, and Akhuteleng Kekwaletswe, BOSJE - Botswana. Women across all age groups gathered to learn and teach music. REVA helped send Harlem, NY music educator Jen Theilacker to Botswana for CampHER, a weekend camp August 19 - 21, to introduce girls to instruments and share her pedagogy, provide mentorship, and to South Africa to speak and perform at the Symposium, held August 27 - 29.
Jen Theilacker is a whirlwind of musical energy with a devotion to inspiring under-resourced young music students at her current position at KIPP Public Charter School and elsewhere. She is a founding member of The Association of Black Women Band Directors and is active as a conductor, educator and officer in many music organizations and communities, including working closely with Jazz at Lincoln Center in NYC. The experience for Jen exceeded her expectations and proved that the community that the GJW have built over the past years has profound impact.
“The love, the community, the gratitude from everyone was truly unbelievable! Akhutleleng Kekwaletswe is changing Botswana through music one child at a time. Akhu thank you for welcoming me into this community. You are a true inspiration! What if everyone made a difference like you have?!?!”ver it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
Why do it?
Jen Theilacker was the 2023 US (and REVA’s) emissary to the Symposium and CampHer. A dedicated educator, incredibly talented musician and conductor with a burning passion for spreading music education across borders, she had the opportunity to collaborate, learn, and share her musical expertise with an international community of artists in two African countries. This symposium in Johannesbourg was not only a chance for Jennifer to showcase her talents, but also to gain invaluable knowledge and build international connections that will further fuel her artistic growth. In Botswana, she witnessed the power of women building an education network, community, and the importance of providing support, and musical instruments to girls and young women.
“I knew this week would be life-changing….but I thought only in a few ways. I am realizing with every encounter that I have had, there was more to learn than just on the surface. I don’t have the words to describe the women I met on the Global Jazzwomen Hang Symposium. Near the end of our rehearsal I realized each of these 6 women wrote the pieces we were playing!””