The blare of trombones, the fanfare of trumpets, the laughter and chatter of youth – these aren’t the sounds you’d expect to emanate from a panel beating shop. But Athlone Body Works is by no means ordinary. It’s here, among dented and dusty cars in various states of repair, that owner Salie Davids has created an extraordinary space for children and adults from troubled neighbourhoods to conduct band practice and compose a brighter future for themselves.
The Silver Sounds Band came about after Davids’ youngest son, Ashrudien, began playing the trombone. The unusual and ambitious instrument drew the attention of other interested youth and together they formed a seven-piece jazz band. That was in 2005. Since then, that number has multiplied to over 70 musicians from across the Cape Flats, including Bonteheuwel, Hanover Park, and Mitchells Plain. They meet weekly to learn to play the trombone, saxophone, sousaphone, trumpet, bass drums, and snares under the tutelage of volunteer music teachers. The sounds they produce, locally known as Goema music, form the soundtrack to the renowned Tweede Nuwe Jaar parade – which the band has been hired to play at every year since its founding. With Ashrudien as their conductor, they often take popular international hits and put a local spin on them.
For some, this is a way to hone their musical talent and connect with others. For others, it’s a lifeline. “Children of the Cape Flats, every day there’s problems,” Davids explains. “There’s gangsters and drug dealers. A lot of these kids don't even finish school.” Poverty fuels desperation, as Davids describes the long hours children go without food: “Nine o’clock out of the house until late at night without a piece of bread.” But where others see trouble and hopelessness, Davids envisions a way to help out. “With children, you can never turn them away,” he says. In addition to opening up his workshop to budding musicians, Davids and his wife Rukeya cook and serve hot meals to them.
From the food provided to the purchase, maintenance, and repair of brass instruments, running a band on this scale is a costly endeavour. But Davids sees value in investing in local youth. “I’ve got school teachers out of this workshop, I’ve got electric engineers, a social development officer,” he says proudly of his former students. Perhaps more than the sound musical education they’re receiving, these youth are also benefiting from Davids’ belief in them and encouragement. “When they come in here they can be themselves,” he says. “They’re free.”
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