From Vanderbijlpark to the World | Jaco Verwey on Rocking the Vaal, Community & Resilience

Some interviews are personal. This one is especially close to my heart because Vanderbijlpark is my hometown, the place where I was born and grew up, and still the place I return to whenever I am back in South Africa. In this interview, I speak with Jaco Verwey, organiser of Rocking the Vaal and spokesperson for the Golden Triangle Chamber of Commerce, about a town on the banks of the Vaal River, its people, its challenges and its remarkable resilience. Jaco shares the story behind Rocking the Vaal, a family-friendly music, food and community festival that has grown into something much bigger than a music event. With its Guinness World Record attempts, charity initiatives and involvement of local businesses, universities, sponsors and community organisations, the festival brings people together around a shared sense of achievement, while putting the Vaal region on the map. We also talk about Vanderbijlpark itself and the economic difficulties that have deeply affected the community, particularly the contraction and restructuring of ArcelorMittal South Africa and the surrounding heavy industries. Yet, as Jaco describes, the people of the Vaal have something that cannot easily be measured: a strong sense of community, generosity and the resilience to keep moving forward. At the heart of our conversation is a simple but powerful idea: when a community comes together, it can change the story being told about its home. For me, this conversation was also an opportunity to look back at the place that shaped me, and to celebrate the people who continue to believe in the Vaal and its future. Every artist has a story worth hearing. https://www.tsogosun.com/whatson/rocking-the-vaal/ If you've enjoyed The Artist's Voice, you're invited to support the project through https://buymeacoffee.com/petrasittig Every coffee helps keep meaningful conversations with artists brewing. Thanks for listening, watching, and cheering on the arts! The Inspiration by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/ #festivals #proudlysouthafrican #petrasittigtheartistsvoice