By Konke Welaphi Walk down any street in Makhanda and chances are you will run into a piece by either Mook Lion himself or members of his trusty team Phila, Bagels, Sive, Cj, Jared and Zena. All these artists and many more that are not mentioned here have taken it upon themselves to make Makhanda “vivid and bold”. This is the National Arts Festival’s slogan, which got Mook and his team to do another mural for 2025 and they have set the bar even higher than before. Working with the same attitude to let the art breed curiosity, this piece…
Author: Konke Welaphi
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To teach in ways that teach us to care for the soul, Visual Art Venue: New Gallery Next Walkabout: Thursday 5 July 11:00 Review By Konke Welaphi Nyakallo Maleke, the Standard Bank Youth Award Winner for Visual Arts, allowed us a moment to explore what our intuition told us about the work that she had on display. While explaining why she chose to put her work on a metal frame as opposed to up on a wall, she said that instead of just interacting with the work using our eyes only, we also use our body. This had a significant…
Beyond the stage, Dance Venue: PJ’s Review By Konke Welaphi The smiles that beamed over the girls’ faces when the crowd gave them a standing ovation summed up the emotions that the dancers poured onto that stage. From the beginning of the show, with the dancers’ voices as the sound, each describing what their love of dance meant to them, they did what they knew best. What was particularly striking was how they expressed emotion on their faces and not just through their bodies. The Diocesan School for Girls breeds pure and elegant talent in their dance studio. The different…
Nature is louder, Street Art Venue: Rhodes Red Theatre Next Tour: Wednesday 02 July 14:00 Review By Konke Welaphi The walk-through with Mook Lion not only opens us to a better understanding of the art scattered around the Makhanda streets, but it also invites a sense of connection with the work itself. Nature is louder sparks from the interplay between human life and nature – a holistic relationship rather than a separation. “Nature, like us as artists, can disturb the normal day-to-day life, such as this tree’s roots disrupting the sidewalk.” Mook’s descriptions include insights into the history of graffiti…
#TIME, Music Venue: Beethoven Room Next Performance: Sunday 29 June 14:00 Review By Konke Welaphi Experimenting with new emotional tones, PentaFusion formed a community before performing by conversing with the audience and even taking it a step further by having a short quiz. Their new sponsor, Revels, gave away vouchers to those who had answered correctly in the quiz. This gave the audience a chance to connect with the band before immersing themselves in the music. Having opened the show with this act of community bonding, it changed the nature of the music itself. Stacey van Schalkwyk, director, composer and flute…
Beyond the Stage, DanceVenue: PJ OlivierNext performance: 28 June 19:00PreviewBy Konke Welaphi The Diocesan School for Girls step graciously and vibrantly on the National Arts Festival stages, embarking with us on an emotional rollercoaster that stirs passion and warmth in a single glimpse, keeping us hooked, feeling as though we are one with the dancers. In a town full of diversity, Beyond the Stage encapsulates that and turns it into far more by including several dance variations in their performance, not only reflecting their own talent and diverseness as a school but also reflecting the roots and diversity of Makhanda…