South African Tourism USA joins Mumford & Sons to present Johannesburg - a South African Experience

MMumford & Sons and Gentlemen of the Road are pleased to announce the launch of a free pop-up exhibition at Okayafrica’s Okay Space in New York this summer.

Launching on the 14^th June, the pop-up celebrates the culture and beauty of South Africa, a country the band toured and fell in love with for the first time earlier this year, and puts a spotlight on some of South Africa’s best artists and photographers.

Mumford & Sons: “We had such an amazing time touring and recording in South Africa that we wanted to share our experiences and shine a light on the vibrant, creative culture we have grown to love out there. The appetite for live music is huge and the youth culture is exploding with energy and rejuvenation, so we want to show that off.”

The pop-up will follow the release of the band’s ‘Johannesburg' mini-album with Baaba Maal, The Very Best, and Cape Town’s favourites, Beatenberg on the 17th June. It was recorded at the South African Broadcasting Centre in Johannesburg over 48 hours back in February 2016, and book-ended by six wild, sold-out shows of the country in rarely used sites. It was an incredible introduction to the country, and one the band are passionate about sharing with their fans.

The exhibition will display behind-the-scenes photography by the band and never before seen documentary footage from their tour.

A full daily programme of events for the exhibition will be issued in June, featuring intimate live performances from Beatenberg, South African wine tasting, DJ sets and a host of live music and an evening of film featuring work of acclaimed South African directors, curated by Johannesburg independent cinema The Bioscope.

The pop-up will be open to fans through Mumford & Sons’ sold out headline shows at Forest Hills Stadium on June 16 and 17, through until June 19.

Johannesburg - a South African Experience at the Okay Space, Brooklyn is hosted in association with Okayafrica and South African Tourism.

South African Tourism - “It is thrilling to see (and hear) the impact that South Africa’s lively music scene and spirited people made on Mumford & Sons during their recent visit.  We are excited to show their fans why there has never been a better time to #MeetSouthAfrica and experience the country’s vibrant culture and warm hospitality.”  Bangu Masisi, President, South African Tourism North America

Watch a live performance of There Will Be Time filmed in Pretoria here 

Mumford & Sons headline Forest Hills Stadium, Queens on the 16th and 17th June.  Support comes from Raury (16) and Børns (17), with guest appearances from  Baaba Maal and Beatenberg.

On the 29th January through to the 7th February, Mumford & Sons embarked on a self-produced (in conjunction with Hilltop sold-out tour of South Africa. Six shows in rarely used sites in Cape Town, Durban, and Pretoria sold-out, which saw the band perform to in excess of 85,000 fans. During their trip, the band, alongside Senegal’s Baaba Maal, London/Malawai duo The Very Best, and Cape Town guitar band, Beatenberg, found time to collaborate and record together in Johannesburg’s South African Broadcasting Corporation. The resulting recordings form the mini-album, Johannesburg, released through Island Records on the 17th June 2016.

South African Tourism:

South African Tourism is the national tourism agency responsible for the marketing of South Africa as a preferred tourist destination.

Okayafrica :

Okayafrica connects a global audience to the African continent through compelling content and high-profile cultural events. The leading media company of its kind, Okayafrica is a multi-faceted hub—a lifestyle brand, an online magazine, a bespoke content producer, and an events producer. Most of all, it is a community of readers, artists and creators that uses the Okayafrica platform to bridge Africa and its diasporas. Okayafrica is the only platform truly capturing the breadth of the continent's unprecedented youth culture boom.

For more information on South Africa’s rich and diverse offerings visit www.southafrica.net, follow @SouthAfrica on Twitter and @VisitSouthAfrica on Instagram and Facebook.

Issued by W!T on behalf of South African Tourism

For further information contact:

South African Tourism North America                 W!T Public Relations

Tel: +1 (212) 730-2929                                                 Tel: +1 (212) 967-5895

Email: newyork@southafrica.net                              Email: megan@growwithwit.com

Website: www.southafrica.net                                  Website: www.growwithwit.com