BCUC and Mazaher to Oslo World 2026
The afropsychedelia-collective BCUC and the Egyptian zar muscians of Mazaher visit Nasjonal Jazzscene October 29th.
Mazaher - Nasjonal Jazzscene - 29. oktober
To attend a performance by Mazaher is a very special, hypnotic experience, putting the listener in touch with ancient and trancelike pre-Christian and pre-Islamic traditions. The musicians of Mazaher, Um Sameh, Um Hassan and Nour El Sabah, are among the foremost, and last, practitioners of the genre zar in Egypt today. This form of music has traditionally been preserved and practiced by women while men play a secondary role.
Not more than a dozen persons within greater Cairo still have knowledge of the musical legacy of the zar. In the whole of Egypt only around 25 people continue to practice this knowledge and this tradition. At Oslo World this autumn, Mazaher will show that while it’s almost extinct in modern Egypt, zar is still a vital form of musical communication and escapism.
BCUC - Nasjonal Jazzscene - October 29
Few concerts in the history of Oslo World has hit harder, with more musical shock effect, than BCUC from Soweto, South Africa did at Nasjonal Jazzscene a few years back. BCUC – Bantu Continua Uhuru Consciousness – combines indigenous funk, hiphop consciousness and punk rock energy from Soweto, South Africa. The band had a humble beginning, rehearsing in a shipping container a stone’s throw from the church where Desmond Tutu organised the escape of the most wanted anti-Apartheid activists of Soweto. From there, they have grown to become a celebrated and deeply cherished band, through their spellbinding connections with audiences all over the world.
BCUC sees its music as a hedonistic trance, but also as a weapon of political and spiritual liberation. They tackle the harsh realities of the voiceless, especially the plight of the uneducated workers at the bottom of the social food chain. And they do it all through truly jawdropping performances. In 2022, they played perhaps the best concert at Oslo World that year. We have been waiting for an opportunity to bring them back – and now it’s finally happening.
Double ticket for Mazaher + BCUC
At Nasjonal Jazzscene this evening, it will be possible to purchase a double ticket, allowing you to see both bands at a reduced price.
