Titled Pieter-Dirk Uys in Unmasking Evita it features the truth the whole truth and nothing but Evita Bezuidenhout …. The most famous white woman in South Africa exposed….. Just because she doesn’t exist, doesn’t mean she is not real!
Tickets cost R70 / +R5 per live streaming device and can be booked through Quicket: https://www.quicket.co.za/events/109655-pieter-dirk-uys-presents-unmasking-evita/#/
Somizi Mhlongo-Motaung will walk in wearing an outfit that will get viewers talking when Idols SA returns to Mzansi Magic this Sunday – South African proverb.
Well, it may not be a real South African proverb, but renowned rapper and the show’s host Proverb will be back with his puns and witty lines when Idols SA returns for Season 16 of what promises to be “more than just a show”.
The talent show will start with the airing of mass auditions on August 2, 2020, at 17h30 – in time to take its place on the social media trends list.
This year’s auditions were filmed before lockdown in March in four cities - Pretoria, Durban, Johannesburg and Cape Town.
“As we turn 16, your living room will, from this Sunday, transform into front row seats of the biggest entertainment spectacle, enough to make you forget about your lockdown woes. This is because Idols SA is back and we are really excited about the show – from the wooden mic, right up to the live shows. This year’s Idols will be more than just a show,” says Executive Producer and Director of SIC entertainment, Gavin Wratten.
The return of Mzansi’s most loved talent search show comes after Luyolo Yiba dropped the wooden mic to get the golden ticket, made it past theatre week, past live shows, before he won the hearts of the majority of South Africans to win the grand prize of the 15th edition of the competition.
Luyolo’s talent stood out, so much that he remained standing despite being put on the audition spot by the show’s returning judges. He survived the nerve-wrecking critique of Randall Abrahams, the compliments and tears of Unathi Nkayi. Luyolo even got Somgaga to blow everyone away with entertaining phrases that viewers have become accustomed to. All the judges will make their return this season and viewers will once again get to see their favourite stars being invited on to the show as guest judges.
“Mzansi is proud to continue to provide a platform for new stars to be discovered and for talent to be unearthed. I am told this year’s Idols, dubbed sweet 16, will be ‘more than just a show’. This should set the stage for our contestants and the show to reach new highs,” says Nomsa Philiso, the director of Local Entertainment Channels at M-Net.
While the show’s production team will take the necessary health precautions to ensure the safety of the contestants is prioritised, all mass auditions were shot before lockdown.
All the requisite health guidelines will be put in place ahead of all the live shows, and the cast and crew will ensure that social distancing, sanitizing of hands and venues with adequate ventilation will be used for this year’s showpiece.
Catch Idols SA on DStv Channel 161 on Sunday, August 2, 2020, at 17h30.
Waiting in the Wings SA is the brain child of choreographer, director and producer Owen Lonzar and was established in an effort to assist destitute performers who have lost all sources of work/income due to the COVID19 pandemic.
On August 2 at 19h00, Waiting in the Wings SA and the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra bring you the online, live-stream fundraising concert Open Spaces featuring 26 top artists including Timothy Moloi, Vicky Sampson, Cito (of Wonderboom), Corlea, Harry Sideropoulos, Itu Sings (from The Voice), Ilse Klink (of Isidingo fame), Sterling EQ, Dantanio D Goodman (one the world’s top Michael Jackson impersonators), the Mzansi Youth Choir who will perform a range of hit songs with the full orchestra!
Tickets cost R70 and can be purchased through quicket.co.za
https://www.quicket.co.za/events/108032-open-spaces/#/
KwaZulu-Natal tourism players have adopted an optimistic “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade” stance and are doing great things to breathe life back into the industry.
KZN hotels, holiday resorts, casinos and restaurants have embraced a can-do attitude in the face of the adversity wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than anything else, the recovery of tourism in KZN is helping to dispel the air of gloominess and is putting back smiles on the dials of travel and entertainment fans.
Tourism KZN’s 360-degree Tourism Recovery Marketing Strategy to claw back some of the lost prospects in time for the approaching summer season, kicked off with an inspirational visual message of hope on social media to remind prospective travellers that while “it’s been tough to distance yourself from the warmth of KZN’s shores, exploring the mountain tops of the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg, and dancing to the beat of Zulu warriors, KZN will see you soon”.
The inspiring video compilation reassures travellers that their favourite places are still there and ready to welcome them back soon. Adding further stimuli to the recuperation of tourism has been the virtual community of KZN flag-wavers created by Tourism KZN - sightseers, hikers, foodies, nature lovers, bikers, runners, beach bums, travel agents and tour guides are sharing their plans on Tourism KZN’s MY KZN Facebook page on how they are reconnecting and rebuilding tourism in the province.
Tourism KZN started the MY KZN page as part of the greater destination awareness marketing strategy to ensure that KZN remains top of mind and again quickly becomes the “must visit” destination it was before the coronavirus catastrophe.
Tsogo Sun, the hotels, gaming and entertainment group, is swimming against the current - rather than shutting hotel doors because of the lull in the industry, it has taken over Durban’s historic Edward Hotel with big plans to restore it to its former glory.
Another iconic Durban hotel, the Oyster Box, hit the No. 1 spot in the ‘Top Resort Hotels in Africa’ category in the 25th anniversary Travel & Leisure World’s Best Awards.
Part of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection and with all the charm of a bygone era, the 86-room Oyster Box is the epitome of modern elegance and comfort, standing majestically on Umhlanga’s beachfront, overlooking the Indian Ocean and the iconic Umhlanga lighthouse.
There will be financial relief in the form of cheques from the Department of Health for operators of several Durban hotels who have displayed a spirit of humanity in allowing their establishments to be used as official quarantine sites. Among these are Umhlanga Sands, Umhlanga; Cabana Beach, Umhlanga; The Palace All-Suite, Durban Central part; The Royal Hotel, Central Durban; Coastlands West Street, South Beach; Mackaya Bella Guesthouse, Durban Central/South; ONOMO Hotel, Durban; and Wentworth Hotel, Durban.
Those with itchy palms in KZN can once again taunt Lady Luck at the two largest casinos, Suncoast and Sibaya. But those who will be having a fling at the roulette wheel, Blackjack table or will play the slot machines must adhere to strict Covid-19 protocols.
At both casinos only loyalty cardholders will be allowed onto the gaming floors. Every second slot machine has been disabled to ensure appropriate physical distancing between guests on the casino floor.
Cloth or disposable masks must be worn at all times and a medical screening questionnaire must be filled upon entry.
Tsogo Sun has made it clear that the announcement by the Mariott International hotel group that it was closing the Edward Hotel because of the impact of Covid-19 is not true. Marcel von Aulock, CEO of Tsogo Sun Hotels, said the hotel industry globally and in South Africa is undoubtedly experiencing one of the most disruptive and difficult periods in history.
He said with the relaxation of lockdown regulations, several of the group’s hotels have opened but are operating on limited capacity and will remain so until demand patterns and flight activities in both the domestic and ultimately the international markets begin to normalise.
He said Tsogo Sun Hotels, via its subsidiary Hospitality Property Fund, owns a controlling stake in Edward Hotel. With Marriott terminating its relationship, Tsogo Sun will assume management of the Edward Hotel.
“The Edward is a landmark on the Durban beachfront where we already have a strong presence. The hotel has a 111-year history, beautiful facilities and will add something different to our portfolio in that node,” Aulock said.
Meanwhile, holiday resorts are bracing for a rush of tourists with the further easing of restrictions, and many said early bookings were beginning to come through. KZN resort owners said they expect to see a rise in summer staycations this year, as cautious holidaymakers turn their backs on foreign trips and look closer to home for post-lockdown retreats.
Contrary to the belief that tourist establishments will be increasing their rates to compensate for the months when there was no business, travel operators said it will be suicidal to do so.
“In fact, if anything, prices will be substantially reduced by accommodation establishments and holiday resorts to woo tourists back. There is also the understanding that the public has also been economically affected by the lockdown. Hence, there will be post-lockdown bargains galore,” the manager of a Durban block of holiday apartments said.
So, start packing the sun hat, suntan lotion, beach toys, binoculars and braai kits - and start counting the number of sleeps to the one holiday you have been desperate for.
Social media links to Tourism KwaZulu-Natal:
Website: https://www.zulu.org.za
Facebook: Tourism KwaZulu-Natal
Instagram: Tourismkzn_offical
The Durban FilmMart Institute is pleased to announce the selected 2020 Finance Forum Projects for the 11th Durban FilmMart Virtual Edition which takes place from September 4 to 13.
A total of 230 documentary and feature fiction projects were submitted for this year’s edition, and after a rigorous adjudication process with a panel of film experts, 31 projects were selected for the finance forum.
The projects, which have, as a proviso, at least one African director or producer involved, came from 13 countries including South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia, Cape Verde, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of Congo, Morocco, Ethiopia, Sudan, Chad, and Zimbabwe.
“By going virtual this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to seize the opportunity to extend the call for submissions, as well as include a further 11 projects into the usual pool of 20 to pitch,” says Toni Monty, Head of the DFM. “What is exciting is how the projects echo our theme of Brave New Cinema, as stories presented relevant Afrocentric themes across a variety of genres. It is evident that the content possibilities, within the continent, are growing, and the quality of projects presented is maturing, which makes for an exciting dynamic for African filmmaking.
The selected projects, 16 documentaries and 15 fiction features, will have the opportunity to present a pre-recorded pitch to a panel for investors, agents, distributors, content editors, broadcasters, and programmers for possible further development.
DFM 2020 PROJECT SELECTION
(Collage of documentary filmmakers with projects in the 2020 DFM Finance Forum)
Abo Zabaal 1989, (Egypt) – Producer: Kesmat El Sayed, Director: Bassam Mortada
Beyond the Light Barrier (South Africa) – Producer: Uga L Carlini, Associate producers: Jacqui Teasdale-Pearson and Dumi Gumbi, Director: Uga L Carlini
Big Boys Don't Cry, (Egypt) – Producer: Hala Lotfy, Co-producer: Philipp Mairice Raube, Director: Muhammad Mustapha
Des Espoirs (Hope), (Tunisia) - Producers: Erige Sehiri, Carine Ruszniewski, Clothilde Bunod, Director: Dhia Jerbi
E Quem Cozinha? (And Who Will Cook?), (Cape Verde) – Producer and Director: Samira Vera-Cruz
How to Build a Library, (Kenya) – Produced and Directed by Maia Lekow and Christopher King
Les Oublies (The Forgotten Ones), (Mali) – Producers: Abdoulsalam Hama, Julien Fiorentino, Director: Ousmane Samassekou
Man of God, (South Africa) – Producer: Jack Chiang, Director: Poppy Madela
The Ship and the Sea (O Navio e o Mar), (Mozambique) – Producer: Lara Sousa, Co-producer: Matheus Mello, Directors: Lara Sousa and Everlane Moraes
Our Bomb for Pan Africa, (South Africa) – Producer: Jean Meeran, Director: Eva Njoki Munyiri
Rising up at Night, (Democratic Republic of the Congo) – Producers: Dada Kahindo, Rosa Spaliviero, Director: Nelson Makengo
The House is Burning, (South Africa) – Producer: Natalie Geyser, Sara Gouveia, Director: Sara Gouveia
The Men Who Speak Gayle, (South Africa) – Producers: Georgie Paget, Thembisa Cochrane, Director: Andrew Brukman
The Wall of Death, (Morocco) – Producers: Merieme Addou, Alexis Taillant, Nadege Labe, Director: Amine Sabir
Twelve Pangas, (South Africa) – Producers: James Tayler, Xola Mteto , Director: Xola Mteto
What's Eating my Mind, (Kenya) – Producer: Sam Soko, Director: Noella Luka
Fiction Selection
A Can Of Condensed Milk (Working Title), (South Africa) – Producer: Julie Laurenz, Director: Sara Blecher
Al Bahs An Manfaz L Khoroug Al Sayed Rambo (Seeking Haven For Mr Rambo), (Egypt) – Producer: Rasha Hosny, Director: Khaled Mansour
Al Mostamara (The Settlement), (Egypt) – Producers: Hala Lotfy, Etienne de Ricaud, Director: Mohamed Ibrahim
Ape Town, (South Africa) – Producer: Bridget Pickering, Director: Kurt Oderson, Screenwriter: Rea Human
Goodbye Julia (Sudan)- Producer: Amjad Abu Alala, Director: Mohamed Kordofani
Mehal Sefari (Median), (Ethiopia) – Producer: Tamara Dawit, Director: Abraham Gezahagne
Over The Republic, (South Africa) – Executive Producer: Ramadan Suleman, Director: Lamar Bonhomme
Searching For Lebo, (Kenya) – Producer: Matrid Nyagah, Director: Simon Mukali
Sola, (Chad) – Producer: Wilf Varvill, Arnaud Dommerc, Michael Henrichs, Director: Issa Serge Coelo
Stellar Collision, (South Africa) – Producer: Layla Swart, Director: Thishiwe Ziqubu
The Accident, (South Africa) – Producer: Khosi Dali, Director: Imran Hamdulay
The Weekend, (South Africa) – Producer: Akona Matyila, Director: Kenneth Gwele
Vlees Van My Vlees (Flesh from my Flesh), (South Africa) – Producers: Lucia Meyer-Marais, Jozua Malherbe, Director: Matthys Boshoff
Vrees (Fear), (South Africa) – Producer: Corne Van Rooyen, Director: Rene Van Rooyen
We All Fall Down, (Zimbabwe) – Producer and Director: Tapiwa Chipfupa
Besides the Finance Forum, the DFM will host several webinars with panel discussions, conversations, forums and hangouts for filmmakers with film industry experts, where they will be able to benchmark themselves, expand their professional knowledge, pitch projects and ideas in meetings and extend their network on a global level.
The 2020 DFM takes place on line from 4 to 13 September. Registration will open on July 31 on www.durbanfilmmart.com
During this lockdown, the KZNSA Gallery in Durban introduces artists it has worked and collaborated with, in its new series: Meet the Artist. Have some fun with them, collect their art, and watch their Q&A videos on the Instagram and Facebook pages.
One of the featured artists is photographer Samora Chapman. He has been actively documenting the lives of Durban's homeless during the lockdown and COVID19 pandemic, in connection with the work of the Denis Hurley Centre. Watch his Meet the Artist Q&A on our Instagram or Facebook.
Chapman is a creative director with skills in writing, photography and filmmaking. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English and Politics and developed skills in photography under the mentorship of award-winning documentary photographer Paul Weinberg.
Chapman has exhibited at various venues including the KZNSA, including his first film, Footnotes in the City, an investigation of street art as visual activism in Durban.
His interests range from street culture to fine art, fashion, rural development and the environment. His specialty is getting under the skin of the city he lives in, finding the beauty and the humanity between the hard urban edges, with an artist’s eye.
Follow the Q & A:
How do you know the KZNSA?
Your current art crushes
At the moment I’ve been looking at a lot of Bruce Gilden’s work. He’s a New York street photographer. He uses a bright, ugly flash and he’s very antagonistic, fearless and controversial but I do enjoy his work. I enjoy a lot of his non-flash work as well.
Steve McCurry is a documentary photographer who I’ve always just really admired and wanted to work with him, or meet him or something.
Locally, I would say there are a lot of great South African photographers, but a good friend of mine is Matt Kay, and I really admire his work, I seek his guidance indirectly by following what he is doing.
A little known fact about you
I spend all of my time shooting rugged, raw, urban environments, and I guess a little known fact is I’m actually quite a nature child. I love being in nature and the sea, and away from the madness of the city to balance things out.
It’s a hard question because listening to Spotify, where I just listen to singles a lot of the time. I’d have to say, Midnight Marauders - A Tribe Called Quest, Cypress Hill - Black Sunday and Radiohead - In Rainbows (double album, so I’m cheating).
What is the best part about being an artist?
For me, as a photographer, I guess I just really love and enjoy the process of creation. And I have to do it as much as possible, otherwise I just feel like I’m going mad. The best part for me is going out and spending time in the world, working and meeting strange people and interesting people. And getting photographs and stories, and then producing the work and putting it back out into the world and seeing what the response is or how it may be received, or what does it mean in retrospect.
For more information visit https://www.kznsagallery.co.za/Artists/Profile/581/samora-chapman
The KZNSA Gallery is situated at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood in Durban and can be contacted on 031 277 1705 or email: gallery@kznsagallery.co.za
Now open for viewing is the KZNSA Young Artists' Project 2. Titled 4 x 4, it runs until August 16, 2020, from 09h00 to 14h00, Tuesday to Saturday.
The show features the first solo exhibitions of Vuyolwethu Ndakisa, Jess Bothma, Lindani Nyandeni and Kundai Moyo. As part of curatorial capacity building in eThekwini, Yasmien Mackay and Kenneth Shandu were mentored by the YAP2 lead curator, Carol Brown.
KZNSA practices social distancing protocols and has a health and safety officer with training in Covid-19 screening.
This exhibition is the second in the Young Artists’ Project (YAP) this year. The concept of YAP was first released at KZNSA Gallery in 2002 and many of the artists who participated then, have now become international figures.
The title, 4 x 4, alludes to the format where four young artists each show a solo exhibition. The exhibitions are separate and yet invite us on a journey of contemporary art by young creators who, like a 4 x 4 vehicle, are going places and taking us into their conceptual territories.
The fact that this exhibition will be occurring during the time of the COVID-19 crisis makes the themes of the exhibitions more pertinent. The crisis has made us realise that art and life will change and that things will never be the same. The four themes are Love, Home and Safety, Identity, Tradition and the Environment.
The artists are all below the age of 35 and their concerns are topical and relevant to the socio- political environment in which we live. Due to current circumstances we will look upon these works in different ways and hopefully be reminded of what is important in our lives.
The YAP process provides mentorship to two emerging curators, Yasmien Mackay and Kenneth Shandu who are being led by Carol Brown, an established curator. The selected artists are Vuyolwethu Ndakisa, Kundai Moyo, Jessica Bothma and Lindani Nyandeni.
In her exhibition, Figures of Love, Kundai Moyo sets out to explore the different manifestations of love in action through photography, video and text. In its attempts to unpack the nature of intimate human relations, the work begins to ask how love can become the vehicle for navigating our anxieties, social dynamics and economic realities.
Ndakisa’s exhibition Siyaqhuba is concerned with the everyday life of South African women and the home. She is interested in everyday objects and their underlying meaning, and uses fabric and stitching as well as sculpture and photography as mediums. Much of the work is text based and will be presented as an installation referencing significant rituals.
Jess Bothma is a sculptor and poet who will show a body of work that reflects on the multi-layered landscape of South Africa. Titled Passing Through, Bothma presents drawings, sculptures and installations that celebrate making, and investigate the historical and contemporary environment she finds herself in.
Lindani Nyandeni is a painter whose recent work is a breakthrough in scale and content. Nyandeni draws upon his own history as a young man who grew up without a mother. His current bold portraits are a manifestation of a recent personal epiphany that has inspired him to share his new awakening in an exhibition titled uBonakele.
KZNSA Young Artists’ Project is made possible by Grant-in-Aid from eThekwini Municipality.
KZNSA Gallery is situated at 166 Bulwer Road, Glenwood, Durban. More information on 031 277 1705 or cell 082 220 0368 or visit www.kznsa.co.za
Phansi Museum has organised a memorable series of zoom-talks to delight and amuse the participants. The virtual museum tour has had many hits and Phansi is also re-launching some of their earlier movies.
Phansi’s partners, the African Art Centre (AAC), is organising a virtual exhibition called Enchanting Creatures of the Forest. The opening is on August 8 and will run until August 21.
In the background will be South Africa’s famous Kingboy Singers, an Isicathamiya group that, like the AAC, was established in 1965. The exhibition will be shown live and entry is by invitation. For more information visit https://phansi.com/
After the exhibition opening Phansi will resume its internet adventures by delving deeper into its treasures.
“We are also proud to announce that we are now on the GOOGLE Arts and Culture platform as one of the very few art- museums from Africa. At this stage only our banner appears while we are busy downloading some 5000 items from our collection,” says Paul Mikula, founder of Phansi Museum.
Phansi’s school training workshops resume on August 1.
“The news on the finances is even more dire now than it was before and we lament the absence of help from those who promised,” adds Mikula.
“We also gratefully acknowledge the donation of some wonderful and very special artworks ranging from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal. Professor Margaret Diamond, the Head of English department for many years at the University of KwaZulu-Natal is moving to a retirement home, presenting them in recognition of the work that the museum is doing.”
Phansi Museum is situated at 500 Esther Roberts Road, Glenwood, in Durban. Contact the museum on 031 206 2889 or email admin@phansi.com or visit www.phansi.com
Known for their blockbuster Hollywood fare
alongside high-quality local productions, the M-Net Channels are expanding
their must-see entertainment slate with beloved series from Great Britain.
In addition to the ITV hit game show The Chase – which now freshens up the M-Net 101 day-time schedule with premiere episodes on weekdays – the MultiChoice Group has also acquired staple British soaps and dramas. Count in UK viewing institutions such as Coronation Street and Emmerdale as well as the unique war saga World on Fire. These shows will be available on DStv Premium’s flagship channel, M-Net 101, or M-Net City, which is also available to DStv Compact Plus and Compact viewers.
More good news is that Love Island Season 6, filmed in Cape Town, will create a big buzz across Africa soon, from the first week in August.
“Our hand-picked selection of the best of the best British reality shows have been audience favourites for many years,” says Jan du Plessis, Director: M-Net Channels. “We’ve learnt that the viewers of our M-Net’s general entertainment channels are global citizens who enjoy a variety of stories from different countries and cultures. Adding a wider selection of British genres will not only enable us to bring more fresh content to African shores but also spice up some of our day-time schedules.”
According to Du Plessis, the M-Net Channels will continue to build on their British offering in future, while also acquiring the crème de la crème of European series. “These international productions will complement our existing first-rate schedules.”
The series mentioned above will also all be available on DStv Catch Up via connected decoders or on DStv Now.
Here are details of what to look out for:
The Chase S13
This is one of ITV’s most successful shows
of all time. Contestants can run, but never hide: a professional quizzer, a
“Chaser”, is coming after them to block their path to heaps of cash. The stakes
are high, so emotions are pushed to the brink in the lead-up to an epic
David-and-Goliath showdown. Host Bradley Walsh masterfully defuses the tension
with wit and charm. Oh, and he loves teasing the Chasers!
Love Island S6
A bunch of the hottest singles imaginable
create steamy television as they take up challenges and swap partners. Their
mission? To find the perfect match and reap a stash of cash. The sixth season
of Love Island UK was filmed under
sunny South African skies in a villa in the ultra-posh suburb of Constantia,
Cape Town. This is the first season with Laura Whitmore as the presenter.
The world’s longest-running soap has been
going strong for 60 years. The cobbled streets around the Rovers return and the
people who have walked down this path are an indelible part of British culture.
Over the years, Coronation Street, or
“Corrie” as it’s affectionately called, has won various awards for its
compelling, down-to-earth storylines and characters. M-Net City will screen the
latest Coronation episodes.
Emmerdale
This British soap is set in a fictional
village where the tight-knit community faces all kinds of ups and downs. The
series, which often includes spectacular scenes, has featured strongly at BAFTA
Awards over the years, and key storylines have drawn more than R10 million
viewers. The most recent episodes will be on M-Net City later this year.
World on Fire S1
World on Fire is a seven-part masterpiece about ordinary people’s responses to traumatic, life-changing events. Set during World War II, the series tells interwoven stories that stretch across Europe, in milieus that have not often been depicted in war-time sagas. World on Fire was written by Peter Bowker. Featuring brilliant actors such as Helen Hunt and Sean Bean, has been renewed for a second season.
For more information on these new exciting series, visit mnet.tv. To join the conversation, follow M-Net on Twitter @MNet or on the official M-Net Facebook page.
M-Net’s (DStv Channel 101) will present the first series of Perry Mason on July 28, 2020, at 22h00.
A weekly fixture you can sink your teeth into, catch Emmy Award-winning heartthrob Matthew Rhys in this compelling crime drama.
The series focuses on the origin story of famed defence lawyer Perry Mason. In 1932, Los Angeles is prospering while the rest of the US is recovering from the grip of the Great Depression. Down-and-out private investigator Perry Mason is struggling with his trauma from The Great War and being divorced. He's hired for a sensational child kidnapping trial and his investigation portends major consequences for Mason, his client, and the city itself.
Mason takes on some of the city’s biggest mysteries. With each episode following a formula that builds to a dramatic climax, the eight-episode miniseries promises to keep viewers glued to their screens in search of answers to what would seem impossible mysteries to solve.
The world is full of strange behaviour
Every
man has to be his own saviour
I
know I can make it on my own if I try
But
I'm searching for a great heart to stand me by
Underneath
the African sky
A
great heart to stand me by
Johnny Clegg had the special quality of being able to unite people across all backgrounds and generations with his music. His music has always been a beacon of hope and inspiration and in a time when South Africans and the world need it the most, the lyrics to Great Heart stand true.
In a fitting tribute to one of the most iconic figures in South African music history, the Johnny Clegg Tribute Show is going digital, featuring some of South Africa’s top performers and never seen before footage from Johnny Clegg's life. This digital experience will be held on July 31, from the comfort of your own home.
Clegg captured the hearts of a nation and the digital tribute concert will feature fellow musicians that will commemorate his life and his musical career.
Featured artists include Zolani; éVoid; Jesse Clegg; Ard Matthews; Dan Patlansky; Karen Zoid; Sipho Mchunu; Ross Learmonth; Arno Carstens; Soweto Gospel Choir; Shekhinah; Tresor; Majozi; Kahn Morbee; Francois van Coke; Anna Wolf and Nicholas Petricca of Walk The Moon.
This event is an online event which can be viewed worldwide.
Purchase your ticket at https://tickets.heroticket.co.za/thero/shops/37a4cd7
Once you have purchased your ticket use the details you created at the ticketshop to login to the dashboard at https://login.heroticket.co.za/thero/JC
To view the stream, the player is available when scrolling down past the dash image tiles.
Purchasing a ticket will give you access to the Digital Concert on July 31 2020 at 20h00 South African Time (GMT+2).
The concert will be available for rebroadcast from August 1 to 8, 2020, if you have a ticket.
Durban actress Philisiwe Twijnstra has been cast in The Art of Facing Fear, an international production for the digital play devised specifically for Zoom app. It will start on July 31. The project is an international cast with artists from three different continents: Europe (Sweden, England and Germany), Africa (Cape Verde, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Zimbabwe) and South America (Brazil).
The text refers to a dystopian world after 5,555 days of quarantine due to a pandemic crisis. In this isolated world, many things are not available anymore for people. Despite the government absolute control on digital communication, they still have the chance to keep in contact to each other via internet.
At the end of the performance, artists and audience may gather and chat as an international community.
The co-producers of this production are: Crown Troupe of Africa (Nigeria), Darling Desperados (Sweden), Oddmanout Theatre Company (England), Os Satyros (Brazil), Portuguese Cultural Center of Mindelo (Cape Verde), Village Gossip Productions (South Africa), Tell-a-Tale (Nigeria), The Kwasha! Theatre Company (South Africa), The Market Theatre Laboratory (South Africa) and Unga Klara (Sweden).
Os Satyros is a Brazilian theatre company founded in 1989, by Ivam Cabral and Rodolfo García Vázquez. It has produced over 100 plays performed in over 20 countries and 2 fiction films. It was also the founder of SP Escola de Teatro, a major pedagogical institution for stage arts in Brazil. The company has been researching the relation between technology and theatre for 10 years already. Several of the company´s productions have used internet, robots, apps and cell phones on stage. When the pandemic started, it decided to go into the research of new possibilities for digital theatre using the zoom app.
The first production of The Art Of Facing Fear had its premiere last June 13th in Brazil. Os Satyros started the rehearsals after the quarantine was established in Brazil. Rehearsals happened exclusively online and the actors were spread all over Brazil and abroad.
In the original production, the Swedish actress Ulrika Malmgren was a guest and took part in the whole process of devising from the zoom possibilities, from her home in Stockholm.
The African/European version of the play will bring together artists from nine different countries from three continents. The vast majority of the artists have never met physically and took part of digital rehearsals to devise the performance.
The idea is to establish the points in common among different national realities during the pandemic. What are the fears that took over mankind during this period globally? What are the effects of social intolerance and political extremism in the world today?
At the end of the performance, the audience will be asked to stay in the room and start a chat in simultaneous rooms. In this moment, the audience can talk freely to the artists and the other members of the audience about the performance, the effects of the pandemic in their own countries and the ways for a better political future.
Synopsis:
In a dystopian future, people try to
reshape their own histories after the pandemic. During the 5,555 days of
quarantine, isolated and afraid, they have created a group in Internet in which
they connect to each other. This group of friends don't understand how it's
still possible to have electric energy and web access because all the TV
channels and newspapers were vanished and the cities were abandoned. The main
themes are depression, loneliness, hatred, the fear of infection, the angst of
nearing death and the sadness concerning
the intolerance and political extremism.
Born in Sao Paulo, director and playwright Rodolfo García Vázquez founded Os Satyros in 1989. Throughout his career, he directed theatre and film and performed in 20 countries. Among his main works, there are the Libertine Trilogy, based on Marquis de Sade (Philosophy in the Boudoir, 120 Days of Sodom and Justine), the People Trilogy (Perfect People, Sublime People and Mean People) and Roberto Zucco (by the French playwright Bernard-Marie Koltès).
He was also the artistic director for Interkunst, a German institution based in Berlin, for seven years. In this period, he directed artists from over 25 countries in different shows such Instant Acts gegen Gewalt und Rassismus.
He has also developed research on technology and theatre, with a Master about Cyborg theatre and telepresence.
Playwright Ivam Cabral is a psychoanalysis student, an actor and a playwright who has dedicated his career to the stages. Doctor in Drama by São Paulo University, he is the co-founder of Os Satyros Theater Company. As an actor and playwright he won the most important Brazilian theater prizes and performed in more than 20 countries, in four continents: America, Europe, Africa and Asia. He is also the Executive Director in SP Escola de Teatro - Theater Formation Center.
For more information contact Clara Vaughan at The Market Theatre Laboratory in Johannesburg on 072 433 4311 or email: clara@marketlab.co.za
Ever since guitar virtuoso Philip “Dr Malombo” Tabane opened the Rainbow’s music programme in May 1983, this venerable bastion of music and politics has built a reputation for showcasing some of the greatest axemen to be produced in southern Africa — some of whom, like transcendental Maskanda maestro Madala Kunene, and the irrepressible Bheki Khoza, will be performing at the fundraiser concert.
Following in the footsteps of giants like Sandile Shange, Louis Mhlanga, Doc Mthalane and, more latterly, Reza Khota, the Guitars for Africa concert will bring together a mixture of wizened older heads and an exciting younger generation to raise money for the Rainbow at a time when, because of the global pandemic, many similar cultural institutions are closing down.
Kunene and Khoza head a veritable who's who of KwaZulu-Natal guitarship which includes the Centre for Jazz’s Sazi Dlamini and Mageshan Naidoo, idiosyncratic guitar wizard Guy Buttery, the dynamic Nick Pitman, Cebo Ngema and Nibs van der Spuy, who is currently based in Portugal.
Multi-instrumentalist Pops Mohamed, vocalists Tu Nokwe and Lu Dlamini also form part of the line-up which includes Mozambique’s Milton Chissano, Deon Krishnan from the United Kingdom, Belgium’s Mbijana Sibisi and Solomon Willy from Nigeria.
As the global pandemic continues to tighten its grip and leave destroyed lives and livelihoods in its wake, the Rainbow’s crowd-funding campaign (https://www.backabuddy.co.za/rainbow-restaurant) to ensure the survival of this part of South African history is still short of its target.
The Rainbow’s place in the history of South African jazz and the struggle against apartheid is extraordinary. A non-racial focal point and haven for activists, trade-unionists, students, journalists and other anti-apartheid types during the repressive 1980s, the Rainbow remains a vibrant multi-cultural live music hotspot that still offers a vision of a “New South Africa” that sometimes feels like a dream deferred.
The Rainbow’s relationship with the Centre for Jazz goes back to the 1980s when students from the university, like pianist Melvin Peters and trumpet player Feya Faku, cut their teeth at the venue, or formed part of the pick-up backing band for some of South African music’s grandest names. The Ronnie Madonsela scholarship fund, which is administered by the Centre for Jazz, was initiated by Ben Pretorius, the co-founder of the Rainbow and Centre’s founder, Darius Brubeck.
In the wake of a very successful Piano Passions fundraiser for the Denis Hurley Centre, and the close ties that the Centre for Jazz and Popular Music and iSupport have enjoyed with the Rainbow over the years, a subsequent fund-raising concert, featuring 20 guitarists seemed an essential follow up.
The event takes place at 18h00 on July 29. Tickets: R80 available from Webtickets.
https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/EventCategory.aspx?itemid=1502354377#tickets
Audiences will receive a link and can watch at any convenient time
Crowd Funding: https://www.backabuddy.co.za/rainbow-restaurant
Once Upon A Circus - An imaginative 30-minute production. The story reveals the possibility of social transformation and youth empowerment through the circus arts. Trompie, a real member of the Zip Zap circus family, represents the array of youth whose lives have been transformed through their discovery of circus magic, affording them an opportunity to transcend their circumstances.
Anticipate circus daredevils that jump, fly, and soar effortlessly through the air in gravity-defying aerials and spectacular acrobatics. Think of them as Picasso painting with bodies, as Newtown defying gravity, they are ordinary kids doing extraordinary things.
The beauty of these acts is reinforced by the simplicity of the apparel and the crystal voice of Robyn Botha.
Journey Beyond – A Symphonic Circus - is an extraordinary artistic collaboration between Zip Zap and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra originally performed at the Artscape Opera House in 2018. Viewers can expect a mesmerising musical and visual journey that pushes boundaries and reaches a crescendo of classical entertainment. The captivating beauty of these daring acts are performed in unison with stirring symphonic performances from Dvorak to Shirley Bassey, Vivaldi to Les Misérables.
(To link direct to the National Arts Festival site click on the large banner that runs across the top of this blog or visit https://www.nationalartsfestival.co.za or visit Facebook: www.facebook.com/nationalartsfestival; Twitter: @artsfestival or Instagram: nationalartsfestival)
South Africa’s benchmark dance festival, the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, presented by the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, celebrates its 22nd year with its first-ever digital edition, which will go online, and be available free to a global audience from August 25 to September 6, 2020.
“It is clear that we will not be able to deliver a festival in the same manner as previous years,” explains Artistic Director, Dr Lliane Loots. “COVID-19 has shifted the arts world very significantly and in this fragile environment, dance - still defined as a full-contact ‘sport’ – remains separated from rehearsal spaces, from theatre venues, and various sites. The somatic, visceral body is absent right now we believe - as a holding block for future embodied work – that they can still offer dance-makers, dance-lovers, and audiences space to engage serious, beautiful, and important new dance making via a re-visioned JOMBA! 2020.”
This year’s JOMBA! is a carefully curated explosion of dance and conversions about dance-making, offering both a look back at some iconic dance works and dance makers, but it also significantly looks forward to exploring what dance can be in a digital space and a digital time.
2020 JOMBA! offers seven vibrant platforms for audiences to engage:
The JOMBA! Legacy (celebrating 21 years of JOMBA!) programme features nine key dance-makers from all over the globe who have had a significant impact on making JOMBA! the premier contemporary dance festival in Africa. This is a rare opportunity to look back for a moment and to celebrate some of the world’s most iconic dance-makers who have shared their work on JOMBA! stages: From South Africa Gregory Maqoma and Musa Hlatshwayo are featured; dissenting and remarkable Robyn Orlin shares work she has made with Johannesburg- based Moving into Dance Mophatong; Africa’s two most illustrious voices Nigeria’s Adedayo Liadi and Senegal's Germaine Acogny who is often quoted as the ‘Mother of African contemporary dance’ shares an incredible and definitive solo work (“somewhere at the beginning”) danced at the age of 73. And the exquisite feminist artistry of India’s Anita Ratnam is featured in her challenging revision of Indian mythology.
Long time JOMBA! guests, INTRODANS from The Netherlands, grace the festival with neo-classical work made before lockdown that never quite had a life on stage. In an on-going partnership with the US Consulate, two remarkable American dance companies that have had a huge impact on JOMBA! over the years are also featured; both hailing from Durban’s twin cities of Chicago and New Orleans. Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre from Chicago and Leslie Scott’s New Orleans BODYART Dance Company.
The JOMBA! Digital Edge has provided grants to nine Durban dance-makers who continue to make waves on the local dance scene, to create short dance films that will premiere on the opening night of the festival, and will be available to view on the JOMBA! website for the duration of the festival.
The dance-makers were asked to work loosely around the theme of “Intimacies of Isolation” and there were interesting differences in modalities of filming, from cell phone to cameras. Feature choreographers are Jabu Siphika, Kristi-Leigh Gresse, Leagan Peffer, Nomcebisi Moyikwa, Sandile Mkhize, Sifiso Kitsona Khumalo, Tegan Peacock, Tshediso Kabulu, and Zinhle Nzama
Continuing its partnership with the USA, JOMBA! has invited guest US-based curators Lauren Warnecke, Peter Chu, Rachel Miller, and Tara Aisha Willis to put together a collection of “Dance on Screen” films in an inspired and poetic one hour package of short dance films that explore the length and breadth of film dance in the USA.
The Digital JOMBA! Fringe showcases 18 African-based dance-makers work from an open application process. JOMBA! will award prizes to the top three dance films in this section.
Four globally significant dance-makers who have embraced digital dance making under lockdown will host a live conversation around their work and what it means to have made this shift in a programme called Conversations…Dance in a Digital Age. Featured choreographers/dancers are Vincent Mantsoe (South Africa/France), Jürg Koch (Switzerland), Themba Mbui (South Africa), and Ongiege Matthew (Kenya). Both Mbuli and Matthew will offer the world premiere of their new ‘lockdown’ dance works on this JOMBA! platform.
Once again the JOMBA! blog and digital newspaper - JOMBA! KHULUMA - will involve the on-going support of dance writing and dance criticism through a series of closed webinars/seminars for graduate dance students.
After years of photographing JOMBA, the fest photographer Val Adamson will share her work in an exhibition - 21 Years of JOMBA! Through The Lens. This not only honours her extraordinary photographic eye, but it is also a moment of visually remembering the festival’s history through her evocative capturing of dance on stage with her Nikon cameras.
Digital JOMBA! 2020 runs from August 25 to September 6 off the website, jomba.ukzn.ac.za. All platforms for 2020 are free of charge and a full programme is available via the website.
For more information and updates on the programme visit Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Here are some of the highlights on DStv for
the week July 24 to 30, 2020
Local Productions:
The Queen S5 (New season)
Weekdays from Monday, July 27 on Mzansi
Magic (DStv Channel 161) at 21h00
The first episode of the new season is
entitled Rebirth. The world is turned
upside down by the arrival of a new lethal and ambitious enemy. Mildred has yet
another surprise for Thato. The Queen
has kept us hooked for four gripping seasons; expect all the drama and more from
season 5. Remember that if you are recording, you will need to set a new season
recording.
Uzobuya (Mzansi Magic Movies)
Saturday, July 25 on Mzansi Magic (DStv
Channel 161) at 20h30
A stay-at-home father is abandoned by his
wife. He struggles to understand her reason for leaving him. He searches for
her, only to discover she was hiding a secret from him.
Dinner at Somizi's S1
July 24 on 1Magic (DStv Channel 103) at 19h00
This new cooking show hosted by the
ever-charming Somizi Mhlongo has become an instant hit with viewers since its
premiere earlier this month. After a thrilling first two episodes which saw
candid conversations with the beloved Rami Chuene and the talented Zahara,
Somizi is joined by legendary gospel artist Dr Rebecca Malope as his next guest
in what promises to be a classic episode.
Housekeepers
July 27 on Mzansi Magic (DStv Channel 161)
at 20h00
Expect high drama and conflict this week,
as a death in the Ngubane family leaves the house in tension, Maria assumes
Eunice’s disappearance is another one of her stunts and Peter discovers
something horrible about his wife.
Nantes kookboek met Nataniël en Erik 01
July 27 on kykNET (DStv Channel 144) at 20h00
The French are known for making, processing
and serving cheese. This week in episode four, Nataniël and Erik go back
through years of recipes and share their biggest cheese hits.
Woordfees 1
July 26 on kykNET (DStv Channel 144) at 10h30
Die Charl du Plessis Trio's new programme, Imagine, pays homage to Mozart, Verdi
and Wagner along with John Lennon's music. Audiences can look forward to new
combinations and virtuoso play.
Movies
Frozen II (Animation)
July 26 on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) at 20h05
The Sunday night movie is this epic sequel
to the Disney animation starring Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. Elsa's problems
with her powers could threaten her kingdom so she embarks on a remarkable
journey to rediscover herself. This fast paced movie is a true family event!
Gone
Daughter Gone (Thriller)
July 26 on M-Net Movies Premiere (DStv
Channel 104) at 20h15
Cristina Rosato and Jesse Hutch star in
this gripping thriller portraying a mother's nightmare come to life. The lead
character Ashley's reunion with her long-lost daughter turns into a dangerous
search for her missing child.
Five
Feet Apart (Romantic Drama)
Available on Showmax from Sunday, July 26
Award-winning young actor Cole Sprouse
joins Haley Lu Richardson in this portrayal of two teens, both suffering from
cystic fibrosis, who meet while in hospital and feel an instant attraction. As
they grow closer, they struggle to maintain the physical distance their disease
requires of them.
Boxoffice
The
Nomads (Drama)
Available from Monday, July 27
Brandon Eric Kamin directs this dramatic
and rich story which sees a newly appointed teacher introduce a men's rugby
team to an inner-city North Philadelphia high school, amid the chaos of massive
budget cuts and school closures.
Breaking
and Exiting (Comedy)
Available from Wednesday, July 29
Harry (Milo Gibson), a charming house
thief, gets more than he bargains for during an attempted burglary when he
stumbles upon Daisy (Jordan Hinson) and decides to save her from herself,
sending both of them into a darkly comedic journey of self-discovery and love.
Legacy of Lies (Thriller)
Available from Wednesday, July 29
An ex-MI6 agent is thrown back into the
world of espionage and high stakes to uncover the shocking truth about
operations conducted by unknown secret services.
The Host (Crime Drama)
Available from Saturday, July 25
An opportunity arises for Robert Atkinson,
a London banker who risks his bank's money, to leave the mundane behind to
start a new life.
International
Series
Perry Mason S1
July 28 on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) at 22h00
A compelling crime drama set in 1932 Los
Angeles, the series sees famed private investigator Perry Mason struggle with
the trauma of ‘The Great War’ and a recent divorce. Looking to set aside his
trauma, Mason takes on the case of a lifetime, as he is hired to investigate a
child kidnapping. But the case may have major consequences for his client, the
city and his livelihood. Developed and written by Emmy-Award winner Rolin Jones
and Ron Fitzgerald, the series stars another Emmy Awarded talent, Matthew Rhys,
in the title role.
Riverdale S4
July 25 on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) at 21h00
When ominous videotapes begin appearing on
doorsteps across Riverdale, widespread fear quickly returns to the town.
Subversive teen drama based on the 'Archie' comics.
Outlander (The final season)
July 25 on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) at 22h00
Roger leads Jamie's militia to the trading
post of Brownsville and finds himself embroiled in a bitter feud. Golden
Globe-nominated historical drama.
Factual
July 30 on BBC Lifestyle (DStv Channel 174)
at 20h00
The shocking story of the seven days
leading up to Charles and Diana's 1981 wedding, comparing what the jubilant
public saw with how the individuals felt.
Wild
Tokyo
July 26 on BBC Earth (DStv Channel 184) at
17h00
Take a look behind the concrete curtain of
Tokyo at the city's natural refuges, where wildlife has adapted and co-habits
with humans.
Made in a Day
July 29 on National Geographic (DStv
Channel 181) at 18h58
New Balance reveals how high-tech
machinery, handcrafting skills and global logistics combine to bring their
best-selling sneaker to feet the world over.
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