Arno Carstens: 30 Years Of Freedom

“Music is a sounding board for where we are as a people,” singer, songwriter and guitarist Arno Carstens tells Apple Music. “Culture happens while we’re expressing ourselves without us knowing it. It ends up as a beautiful tapestry.” For our celebration of South Africa’s 30 Years of Freedom, the Springbok Nude Girls alum curates a collection of cross-generational hits, featuring tracks from Hugh Masekela, Die Heuwels Fantasties, GoldFish, Freshlyground, TKZee, Black Coffee, Beatenberg and more. “These songs are part of my DNA,” Carstens explains. “Over the years some of the meanings have shifted, but there is always something that brings me back. I’ve also been lucky enough to have shared the stage with some of these artists, so these songs mean a lot to me.” His hope for South Africa’s next 30 years is simple: “I want us to realise that we need each other. Our differences make us cool. The future is forward. I’ve been around the block and can say that south Africans are some of the nicest groups of people in the world. Greet anybody in the street and you’ll see what I mean . And of course we have our own mannerisms and food preferences that makes us unique—but the end of the day our relationship with the land, sky and sea is what binds us.”