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Learners from across Cape Town gathered at Artscape Theatre Centre for the 15th Annual High School Nasheed Competition, celebrating vocal talent, drumming and African-inspired performances under the theme ‘Echoes of Africa’.
By YASEEN BARDIEN
Harmonised vocals accompanied by pounding drums filled the auditorium during the 15th Annual High School Nasheed Competition, where learners from across Cape Town gathered for two evenings of performances and fierce competition.
Held at the Opera House at Artscape Theatre Centre, the event featured a girls competition on May 8 and the boys the following evening. It brought together 11 schools, including four schools that made their debuts at the competition: AZ Berman High School and Claremont High School in the girls competition, Norman Henshilwood High School in the boys competition, and Rylands High School across both sections.
The competition has become a longstanding event, providing young people with a platform to develop their vocal talent through nasheeds.
This year’s theme, ‘Echoes of Africa’, was reflected throughout the competition, with schools incorporating African-inspired attire, drumming and choreography into their performances.
Some schools included Afrikaans elements in their performances, while others incorporated music from films such as The Lion King. Audience members remained engaged across both evenings, clapping and cheering along to the vibrant performances.
According to Nizaam Abdol, co-founder of the Fusion Inyameko Foundation, schools selected two nasheeds from a prescribed list for rounds one and three, while round two allowed greater creative freedom, as schools performed a nasheed of their own choice.
Teams were first judged on vocals before moving into a drumming round, followed by a final open-themed performance. Judges assessed schools on categories including innovation, voice quality, synchronisation, drumming and overall presentation.
Abdol said the theme was chosen to celebrate ‘Africa’s talent, diversity and beauty’, adding that schools embodied the concept throughout their performances, presentations and attire.
He added that the introduction of the duff in the final two rounds added another dimension to the competition.
The girls competition on Friday evening saw Mitchell’s Plain High School take first place for the second year running. Darul Arqam Islamic High School placed second, followed by Darul Islam Islamic High School in third place.
Mitchell’s Plain High School captain Firdaus Manuel described the victory as ‘overwhelming’, saying the competition allowed her to grow both personally and as a leader.
Manuel said motivating the team throughout rehearsals played an important role in shaping the school’s performance. She added that she felt ‘happy and excited’ when they were announced as winners.
Performances during the girls event were energetic and polished, with teams drawing strong reactions from the audience throughout the evening. Other notable awards included the crowd favourite award, decided through a public vote, which was won by Darul Arqam Islamic High School, while Claremont High School received the award for best dressed. Participation certificates were awarded to all schools.
The boys event on Saturday evening delivered equally energetic and engaging performances, with powerful voices echoing throughout the auditorium. The audience remained animated throughout, cheering schools on and reacting enthusiastically to standout performances.
Darul Arqam Islamic High School emerged as the overall winners in the boys division, while Darul Islam Islamic High School followed closely in second place. South Peninsula High School rounded off the podium.
Darul Arqam Islamic High School captain Salmaan Ismail said the team had only three nights to prepare for the competition following another event the previous weekend.
‘It’s very hard to explain how it feels,’ Ismail said after the win.
‘All I can say is that it’s a feeling you’ve never felt before.’
Ismail added the team hoped audiences ‘felt the words’ delivered during their performances.
In the boys competition, Darul Arqam Islamic High School also took home the crowd favourite award while newcomers Rylands High received the award for best dressed.
Abdol said the competition has spent the past 15 years creating spaces for young people to positively engage through nasheed, eisteddfods and sporting events.
Darul Arqam Islamic High School manager Mustapha Mahwayo described preparation for the competition as ‘quite a daunting task’.
‘Allah (SWT) is the most generous. That’s what we based it on, to be grateful and thankful that Allah has granted us the opportunity.’
‘This space is a saviour for many,’ said Abdol, adding that learners spent months rehearsing after school, during breaks and over weekends in preparation for this competition.
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Participating schools
The following schools participated in the 15th Annual High School Nasheed Competition:
AZ Berman High School, Claremont High School, Darul Arqam Islamic High School, Darul Islam Islamic High School, Darun Na’im Academy, Mitchells Plain High School, Norman Henshilwood High School, Rylands High School, South Peninsula High School, Spine Road High School, The Leadership College.
