IN PICTURES | National Arts Festival fever grips Makhanda
The National Arts Festival has taken Makhanda by storm. It got underway on Thursday and will wrap up on June 30. Here are some pictures from the much-loved event.
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The National Arts Festival has taken Makhanda by storm. It got underway on Thursday and will wrap up on June 30. Here are some pictures from the much-loved event.
Iculo likaMama, simply translated as my mother’s song, is a musical experience that seeks to celebrate the essence of womanhood. This production uses jazz as a spectacle through which the stature of women can be accentuated. Tumi Pheko (cornet) and Zuko Yigi perform at the Thomas Pringle hall in Makhanda. (ALAN EASON )
An intrigue of dance and music that spins on the weight of mourning, Cion: Requiem of Ravel's Boléro, was conceived and choreographed by Gregory Maqoma who combined movement with his two inspired source materials: Zakes Mda’s novels Cion and Ways of Dying and Boléro - a piece of music by French composer, Maurice Ravel. Mda's character Toloki, a professional mourner, weaves his way through the story in tandem with the music, magnificently arranged by Nhlanhla Mahlangu. He uses the acapella music of Isicathamiya. Simphiwe Bonongo, a beatboxer, highlights this sound as one of the ways to tell Toloki's story. Nine dancers who are themselves possessed by the spirit and being one with the departed souls lay them to rest, allowing peace and humanity to prevail. (ALAN EASON )
Qhawekazi Giyose performs at the Thomas Pringle hall in Makhanda. (ALAN AESON)
One of the exhibitions in the corridors of the Monument at this year's National Arts Festival. (ALAN EASON)
Mattering: 50 Years of the Festival on exhibit at the Monument during the National Arts Festival. (ALAN EASON )
An intrigue of dance and music that spins on the weight of mourning, Cion: Requiem of Ravel's Boléro, was conceived and choreographed by Gregory Maqoma who combined movement with his two inspired source materials: Zakes Mda’s novels Cion and Ways of Dying and Boléro - a piece of music by French composer, Maurice Ravel. Mda's character Toloki, a professional mourner, weaves his way through the story in tandem with the music, magnificently arranged by Nhlanhla Mahlangu. He uses the acapella music of Isicathamiya. Simphiwe Bonongo, a beatboxer, highlights this sound as one of the ways to tell Toloki's story. Nine dancers who are themselves possessed by the spirit and being one with the departed souls lay them to rest, allowing peace and humanity to prevail. (ALAN EASON )
Hunger Count is a performance art installation by Carin Bester. Hunger is a daily struggle experienced all over the world and is an immense problem in SA. According to GHS 2023 by Stats SA, millions of people experienced hunger. The aim of Hunger Count is to create awareness around food insecurity in SA, by creating a visual representation of the statistics. (ALAN EASON )
Finding a flatmate on the internet is risky business. But desperate times call for awkward situations. When Carly moves into Melo's flat unexpectedly, the two twentysomethings embark on a journey of figuring out their mental health, sexuality, finances, careers and mysterious vaginal discharge in the bathroom of 32 Lavender Close. Starring Grace Matetoa and Christie van Niekerk, this new work by award-winning playwright Andi Colombo was produced under the Theatre Arts Emerging Director Bursary in Cape Town. Currently on at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda. (ALAN EASON )
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