By ZIMKITA LINYANA This Freedom Day, 27 April, The Black Power Station and collaborators will host an event at the Old Power Station, Rautenbach Road, in the industrial area. The event is themed around what Freedom Day means from various perspectives ranging from the politics of gender, religious equality, and the unpacking of the legacies of apartheid. Performances will include poetry, storytelling and music. The entrance is free and the start time is noon. Photo: Xolile Madinda Freedom Day commemorates South Africa’s first free elections in 1994. The Black Power Station CEO Xolile Madinda said the event would look at this…
Author: Zimkita Linyana
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By ZIMKITA LINYANA When the volunteer local work team cleaning up Makhanda’s streets put out a plea on ward WhatsApp groups and Facebook for help to remove the heaps of post-cleanup debris, they were struck by the generous outpouring of community support. Lali Booi, Lukhanyo Grootboom, Thembelani Mnyani and two new recruits have been working with astonishing intensity, unclogging stormwater drains and sprucing up pavements. However, as they ploughed on, huge mounds of debris started to pile up on the streets and traffic islands. If left unremoved, the debris posed a threat to motorists, pedestrians, and the very storm drains…
By ZIMKITA LINYANA Vukuzenzele! – a Xhosa adage that means ‘get up and do it yourself’. Local work trio Lali Booi, Lukhanyo Grootboom, and Thembelani Mnyani did just that earlier this year and continue to fight unemployment. The men are not dismayed; they are still working at cleaning up the streets of Makhanda, weeding out long grasses along storm water drains, and sprucing up the pavements. Lali Booi (yellow hat) and Lukhanyo Grootboom at work on African street. Photo: Atang Matiea This is the responsibility of the Makana Municipality, requiring substantial capacity, tools, and sustenance. Despite this, the trio has…
The Black Power Station® is a social entrepreneurial space for the expression of art, music and thought, inspired by the black consciousness ideology of Steve Biko. It is a response to a conversation about “business beyond the national art festival” started in 2011 by Xolile Madinda and fellow artists in Fingo village. ZIMKITA LINYANA reports. Xolile Madinda, a Makhanda native, is the founder and CEO of The Black Power Station®. The venue was birthed inside a literal power station – the old power station – which used to serve only one side of town during the dark days of the…
A live, in-person National Arts Festival is set to reinvigorate Makhanda’s streets and venues for 11 days from 23 June to 3 July. The first programme will be announced on 4 April, and online ticket sales will open on 3 May. The live festival will be followed by an online festival and potentially hybrid festival productions at venues outside Makhanda. Speaking at a NAF stakeholder briefing on 24 March, NAF CEO Monica Newton said the live festival contributed significantly to the GDP of Makhanda (around R94-million) and the Eastern Cape (R377-million). NAF stakeholder engagement session at the 1820 settlers’ monument…
By ZIMKITA LINYANA I recently RSVP’d to attend a lunchtime talk on a topic close to my heart. I had been looking forward to it all week. At 12.30 pm on the day, I thought it was a good idea to get a ‘quick’ snack 10 minutes away from the venue. I was wrong; it wasn’t a good idea. I arrived five minutes late, at 1.05 pm, and attempted an inconspicuous manoeuvre into the back of the seminar room. I was unsuccessful. The room was packed, and the audience was facing toward the door. I peeked my head in sheepishly…
The three-person workforce that has warmed the hearts of Makhanda citizens has been relentless in its effort to clean up the streets of Makhanda. The trio – Nkosekhaya Booi, Lukhanyo Grootboom, and Thembelani Mnyani – are unemployed. They say their efforts are aimed at redeeming themselves through hard work after past brushes with the law. But, they also work to solicit R5 to help feed their families. They have ambitions of eventually transforming their work into a sustainable enterprise The Makhanda community has been overwhelmingly generous, with kind words, equipment, transport and financial donations. Some citizens asked for banking details…