Tembisa-born Yende is passionate about the arts
He was very much interested in arts and his upbringing actually played a huge role in shaping his career in this industry.
“Just like in anything you do in life, passion matters.”
These are the words of Tembisa-born artist Bongani Yende.
This passionate artist, who is now attached to the Sibikwa Arts Centre, is one of Tembisa’s most passionate and famous artists and his talent and love for arts has seen him climbing up the corporate ladder.
From an early age, Yende knew he belonged on stage and so he pursued his dream of dancing until he was good at it.
Even though he now sits behind a desk as Sibikwa Arts Centre’s marketing manager, Yende is still very much active and wants to touch and inspire young people to love the arts as well.
“From a very young age, I knew I belonged to the artistic world, whether behind the scenes or directly participating and be seen. I am very passionate about the arts. Growing up, I was more aligned to the dance part of art, and that is how I was exposed to the Sibikwa Arts Centre,” said Yende.
“Art lives and runs in my veins and it is something I wish to impart and transfer to young people out there. My wish really is for young people not just to love the arts but be direct and active participants.”
Growing up, Yende said he was very much interested in arts and his upbringing actually played a huge role in shaping his career in this industry.
“My upbringing really instilled a love of arts in me. Also, growing up in a township has played a huge role in shaping my art career, especially within the dance genre. You know in townships, you’d have these different dance groups showing off and I was inspired by such, but decided to take my career to the next level and backed it up with some education. I would go to the Moses Molelekwa Youth Centre for the traditional dance classes and ballroom dancing as well. Here, I was inspired and groomed by talented performers such as Oupa Malatji, who has had many performances abroad,” he said.
Yende said he would love to give back by helping to educate local artists to manage their careers and finances. He argued that many of them die poor and without money because they lack information.
“I am really against exploitation and I would love to see a situation where our artists are taught about the business side of things.
“They need to know that they can sustain themselves within this artistic space. Art is not a hobby but a career. I would like to invite young people with a love of arts to come forward and be part of our daily or weekend programmes at Sibikwa Arts Centre. We will expose them to all the disciplines of art until they find their own footing,” said Yende.
Sibikwa Arts Centre is a visionary arts centre that promotes quality arts education, theatre performance, vocational training and job creation in the country.
“In short, we teach the arts. We deal with dance, theatre performances, music and indigenous African instruments. Our focus mainly is the youth from the age of six to 30.
“For the young people who are unemployed and not attending school we have programmes which are inclusive of creative arts programme, singing and drama,” he explained.
Sibikwa Arts Centre was established in 1988 after a group of parents came together to voice their concern about the low level of education, their children’s poor attendance at school and the increasing violence in the townships.
From the onset Sibikwa has provided youth with focus and hope for the future.
The centre has received countless awards, both nationally and internationally, and its excellent reputation for accountability and reliability has resulted in its continuous expansion over the years.
