Congratulations to Valmont Layne for graduating with his doctorate. Layne was an Andrew Mellon and NRF Flagship Doctoral Fellow at the Centre for Humanities Research, here at the University of the Western Cape.

His thesis focuses on the history of Goema music in Cape Town and its intricate links to Cape Jazz. Speaking about his research, Layne states that, “With my PhD, I had the opportunity to reflect on a key challenge in my professional career about how to move beyond apartheid categories in thinking about music, and how Goema is part of African oceanic, and global systems. I have always been interested in how we can use art to be more human and fight back the dehumanising effects of apartheid.” Layne’s doctoral thesis is made more poignant by the fact that he grew up in District Six, and subsequently worked at the District Six Museum – a vital institution that preserves an important part of the history of the Cape.  The CHR congratulates Valmont Layne for his achievement.