Ekurhuleni presents scintillating Heritage Month programme
The City of Ekurhuleni prides itself on possessing a wealth of heritage, translated into music, arts, dance and an extensive political and cultural history.
As such, the city will utilise the month of September (Heritage Month) to celebrate and share the cultural experiences of the various traditions which share this common geographical space, in an effort to allow for harmonious interactions.
In driving its social cohesion agenda, the metro will host a number of events, starting with the African Lifestyle and Heritage Festival taking place at Dries Niemandt Park, in Kempton Park, home to one of the continent’s busiest airports, OR International Airport, from September 18 to 20.
During the festival, patrons will be taken on an exciting sensory tour of the African continent by experiencing authentic African cuisine, music, fashion, arts and crafts, as well as receiving lessons on the evolving culture and identity of the continent.
Furthermore, to bring about a linkage between traditional dance styles and urban sub-cultural dance genres, Ekurhuleni, in partnership with Via Katlehong and Business Education and Arts Mentorship (BEAM), will host an electrifying youth dance competition dubbed “Just Stand up and Dance”, which will see participants dancing to pantsula and contemporary dance styles on Saturday (September 19), at the DH Williams Hall, in Katlehong.
The up-tempo Afro-urban dance battle will be used as a platform to celebrate the fourth instalment of the Annual Dance Day South Africa, an event aimed at encouraging artists to express themselves through a variety of dance styles.
They are expected to wear their best dancing shoes to the competition, as the victorious participants will receive a one-year mentorship with BEAM, and a trip overseas to experience the true essence of dance culture.
Meanwhile, in its endeavours to uphold and give a commendable meaning to the Heritage Month celebrations, Ekurhuleni will, on September 26, officially declare the Duduza Reconciliation Park a heritage site, following its pertinent history of the zero-zero hour saga, an event which took place in 1985, where young political activists from KwaThema, Tsakane and Duduza were brutally killed with hand grenades by the apartheid government.
In continuation of the official opening ceremony of heritage sites, the Indaba Tree in KwaThema, situated between the corner of Nkosi and Shabangu streets, will also be declared a heritage site.
The tree was chosen by Stegman Koko on February 6, 1953, to be used as a gathering point for community meetings and it also served as a traditional court to settle community disputes.
On September 30, Ekurhuleni and the Selope Thema Foundation will convene a gala dinner, to give befitting recognition to the late struggle stalwart Selope Thema, the man after whom the KwaThema township was named, following his staunch political contribution to the emancipation of the people.
The gala dinner will be held in the Germiston City Hall, from 6pm.
To conclude the action-packed Heritage Month, the municipality will continue to celebrate its political heritage by honouring the late politically acclaimed resistance artist Thami Mnyele, through the admired national fine arts competition, dubbed the Thami Mnyele Fine Arts Awards (TMFAA).
The highly anticipated TMFAA event will be held on Saturday, September 26, at the Coen Scholtz Recreation Centre, in Kempton Park, where artists will be rewarded for their cutting-edge visual arts products.
Subsequent to the awards ceremony, an exhibition will open at the Coen Scholtz Recreation Centre from September 27 to October 18, daily from 8am to 5pm. Entrance is free of charge.
