By Steven Lang Together, leaders of the National Arts Festival and Makana Municipality are acutely aware of the negative impact Makhanda’s infrastructural problems have on Festival. At a media conference held to mark the opening of the 2024 Festival, the collective leadership outlined their plans for overcoming these challenges. The Mayor of Makana, Yandiswa Vara, explained to national and local media present, that Festival is of vital importance to the health of Makhanda’s economy and well-being of its residents. For this reason, she wished to re-assure visitors that the municipality “has taken great strides in ensuring that you enjoy this…
Author: Luvuyo Mjekula
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By Chris Totobela Alicedale came to a stand still this past weekend as football and netball teams from different places joined in the Youth Day celebrations. All the games started on Saturday and went on until Monday. Teams knocked each out until there were only two left. Tournament organiser Luyanda Stwayi told Grocott’s Mail how excited he was about the success of the event. “We had a very good and fruitful tournament and sport lovers enjoyed a long weekend of sport.” Stwayi went on to thank all the sponsors who contributed towards the success of the tournament. Gqeberha-based Royal Bucs…
By Chesley Daniels Antonie Henry Daniels was born at Settlers Hospital in Grahamstown on 23 February, 1940 and sadly passed away at Settlers Hospital on Sunday 16 June; 2024, after he had been admitted on Saturday 15 June, 2024. Fondly known as Wattie, he was the eldest of the late John and Sophie Roberts and grew up with his five brothers and four sisters. Wattie attended primary school in Grahamstown until standard and was forced to leave school in order to go and work for his family at a very young age. Wattie grew up in a very close and…
By Staff Reporter Andile Nayika is a modest yet ambitious young man from a humble home in the Phumlani community in Makhanda. Makhanda’s Andile Nayika (right) touching down at the Atlanta International Airport for the MWF 2024 with South African fellows Vusi Gumbi from Gauteng (left) and Kgaugelo Mohlala from Limpopo. Photo: Supplied He is highly grateful to have been selected to participate in the 2024 Mandela Washington Fellowship (MWF) for young African leaders in the United States (US) from June until early August. Nayika is one of around 40 young South Africans who are part of a group of…
By Anita Mvane, Lukhanyiso Khanyile and Charial Reynders A Gauteng-based Makhanda beauty queen with a passion for community service has high hopes of being crowned Miss Intercontinental South Africa 2024, so she can go back home and inspire the youth and uplift her community. Nkosinaye Same, 28, entered Miss Intercontinental South Africa towards the end of 2023 and is a semi-finalist. The internationally-recognized pageant began in 1971 as concurrent tourism event on the island of Aruba. Starting as Teen Pageant, it became directly an annual event after it attracted strong television ratings following its debut in Oranjestad, Aruba. Towards the…
By Charial Reynders, Anita Mvane and Lukhanyiso Khanyile Makana Municipality in partnership with various government departments and organisations hosted scores of young people in the Extension 9 community hall this week, seeking ways to help eradicate socials from the Joza community, thereby contributing to their future empowerment. Fittingly, many of the more than 100 attendees who filled the Extension 9 community hall were young people. Makana mayor Yandiswa Vara also addressed the gathering. She was accompanied by ward 5 councillor, Gcobisa Mene. The aim of the event was not only to remember the sacrifices of the youth of 1976, but…
Visually stimulating, immersive in their approach, and sprinkled with a mixture of all forms of creativity, the National Arts Festival’s curated programme has something special within. Various art forms include sculpture, photography, theatre, music, dance and many more. Festival-goers are spoilt for choice with a litany of experiences to enjoy and get involved in. Apart from the appeal of the creative works developed, created and on show by the Standard Bank Young Artist award winners, several other highly anticipated works will be showcased during the 11-day festival period. The 2024 curated programme has a bit of everything, from circus-themed explorations…
The much loved and exciting Fringe programme, a definite for any festival goer, is once again packed to the brim with exciting new offerings, with some festival favourites returning to the stage. Since it was introduced as part of the National Arts Festival programme in 1979, the Fringe has been shaped by the independent spirit that inspired the Edinburgh Fringe, when defiant theatre groups arrived at the Edinburgh International Festival in 1947 without an invitation to perform. The Fringe has been an integral part of the Festival, offering the dependable stage to which comedians, theatremakers, musicians and magicians have returned…
Steeped deep in the history of arts and culture in South Africa, the National Arts Festival, now in its 50th year, has seen many faces steering the wheel in bringing monumental cultural exchange and experiences to many. One of the frontrunners in developing a space for creatives to showcase their work while networking with other like-minded people is Tim Huisamen. Huisamen took some precious time out of his retirement to share some of his fondest memories of being one of the former National Arts Festival (NAF) committee members from its early inception. Having served on the committee since the beginning…
By Farirai Dangwa As the latest instalment of the National Arts Festival officially kicks-off today, offering a variety of experiences to explore during the momentous celebration of creativity – leading SA funnyman Rob Van Vuuren shed some light on what’s hot and what’s not for the weary festival goer. Representing something different for everyone who attends, Van Vuuren said the Festival was much more than just a festival for him, as it offered him a space to “reunite with my artist family, the festival goers, every nook and cranny of Makhanda – even the donkeys.” No stranger to the 11…