Leader of the Durban Black Drifters, Chris Ntuli has led his group to a prominent position on the Durban traditional music scene over the years since he founded it in 1994. The group has been involved in Isicathamiya workshops to high schools in the Durban area as well as in the surrounding townships and KZN rural areas.

The workshop programme has visited more than 700 schools in over five years, in most cases leaving behind a selected group of students who have been sufficiently inspired by the Durban Black Drifters’ visit and workshop to start their own isicathamiya school choir. It has been Chris Ntuli’s dream for the last 12 months to hold a competition of these school choirs to assess their progress and encourage them to take their skills further.

Chris’s dream was realised with sponsorship by Nedcor and the first competition in what is hoped will be a five year project plan will take place in the BAT Hall at the BAT Centre on May 10 starting at 11h30. Competing schools are expected from Umlazi, KwaMashu, Clermont, Kwa-Dabeka, Chesterville, Inanda, Newtown and Lamontville. The first prize is R1000, followed by R500 (second prize) and R250 (third prize) with ten consolation prizes.