Step aside Ghost Busters… meet Makhanda’s own Pink Busters!
Inspired by the Ghost Busters of the eponymous movie, who rescued New York City from evil spirits, The Pink Busters is a partnership with a Makhanda pantsula group to spread a message of hope and survival during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Pink Busters – described as “four essential educators, entertainers and helpers of the community in this time of the virus” – have partnered with the Isikhumbuzo Applied History Unit at Rhodes University and professional Makhanda pantsula dance group, Dlala Majimboz to produce The Pink Busters in time for the first Virtual National Arts Festival.
The productio uses uplifting pantsula dancing performances both to say “thank you” to those essential service providers who have kept our world ticking during the COVID-19 pandemic and to spread a message of hope and survival online. Inspired by the Ghost Busters, The Pink Busters remind us that we can do it too.
Here’s how the Pink Busters describe their mission:
The community of Makhanda has many people adhering to safety precautions. Staff of hospitals, nurses and doctors work long hours to ensure the virus does not spread until a vaccine can be found. The Police and National Defence Force kept people in safety throughout the lockdown, ensuring that our communities prevent the virus from spreading through unnecessary gatherings.
Now it is up to us to keep safe.
We have witnessed how social cohesion surfaces in the spirit of Ubuntu, the belief in the universal bond of sharing that connects us all as we fight the Coronavirus in numerous ways.
The performance draws on the deep local history of Makhanda as a reminder that so many hardships have already been overcome. The energetic pantsula dancing inspires us all to stand firm in these hard times.
Watch The Pink Busters here: https://nationalartsfestival.co.za/show/pink-busters/
