BAT Centre launches 30 Years of Freedom Campaign

THE month of April signifies the dawn of freedom and democracy in South Africa, and in 2024, it marks 30 years since democracy. April is known as Freedom Month, and to commemorate it, the BAT Centre is hosting a celebration with the launch of the 30 Years of Freedom campaign, where BAT Centre patrons and staff will be connecting with communities and local schools to keep South African history alive. The campaign, which will now be an ongoing programme of the BAT Centre, will be kickstarted on Saturday, April 19, with inter-generational dialogue, live music, a mural walk and the screening of short films that tell the stories of South African history.

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Nise Malange, the director of BAT Centre, said that she is very happy that the young patrons of the centre are carrying on the race and passing on the baton of history to those who are younger than them.

“When I took over the BAT Centre in 2000, I made it my mission to make this place somewhere where young people will come to learn, create and, in turn, teach those around them what they have learnt within these walls. And part of that is learning the history of this country because we cannot look forward to the future if we don’t know where we come from. That is why the BAT Centre will be hosting these events in celebration of 30 years of freedom but also to carry the programmes over beyond the month of April,” said Mlangeni.

According to the BAT Centre, the programme aims to create opportunities for artists with creative education backgrounds by offering exhibition space, exposure, employment creation and entrepreneurial prospects. The BAT Centre will be commemorating the dawn of democracy throughout April as the centre is also gearing up for the film screenings of Bones of Memory and The Breastfeeding Warrior, which are short films made in partnership with the KwaZulu-Natal Film Commission and which also depict South African history through film.

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The screenings are set to take place on April 26, at the BAT Centre. The BAT Centre Trust is a private, non-profit organisation dedicated to promoting the music, visual arts, dance, craft and literature of KwaZulu-Natal. In so doing, the BAT Centre aims to generate work for artists and build new markets for the arts.

For more information, contact the BAT Centre via email at frontdesk@batcentre.co.za, call on 031 332 0451 or visit their website at www.thebatcentre.co.za.

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