Musicians of South Africa! The countdown has begun: You have one month left to apply for Fair Play South Africa, a groundbreaking moment for protest music and youth voices in Mzansi.
Fair Play is a global music movement that empowers young artists to call out injustice through protest songs. And this year, it’s coming to South Africa for the very first time and landing at the Ngeke! Festival.
The festival will take place on December 6th at Constitution Hill in Joburg, a high-impact event where the next generation of artists will take the stage to speak truth to power at a site that has long stood as a symbol of justice and resistance.
We’re still on the search for the next powerful anti-corruption anthem and calling on musicians aged 18–35 from across the country to submit original songs that take on corruption, inequality, and injustice head-on.
Fair Play is looking for original songs/music videos that shine a light on the issues affecting South Africans and their connection to the influence of corruption. Artists should use their creativity to take on corruption in a way that feels authentic to them. Whether you are talking about state capture, discrimination, broken systems or stolen futures, we want artists to use the power of music to move people, challenge narratives, and demand change.
Last year, on the final day of 2024 International Anti-Corruption Conference (#IACC2024), the BREAK FREE! Festival of Music, Activism, and Cinema took place at Lukiškės Prison, Vilnius (Lituania).
The event featured the screening of The Accidental President as part of Films 4 Transparency (F4T), followed by performances by competition winners of Fair Play, a global competition for original songs by young bands and artists on themes of anti-corruption, integrity, and social justice: The Sixsters, together with Cill Soul (Nigeria) and Faith Mussa (Malawi).
Fair Play is a global competition for original songs by young bands and artists on themes of anti-corruption, integrity, and social justice. The competition is a call for young musicians to join the global anti-corruption youth movement and ensure that the global community hears their messages.
Corruption and its impact on communities and citizens cannot be understood only by using traditional measures like reports or indicators. People around the world express their everyday experiences with corruption in many ways and share a message of hope and unity. Music is one of those ways. The IACC Series recognizes the power of music in reaching citizens across the globe and sharing with them important and powerful messages. This is why we have teamed up with the Fair Play Global Music Competition.