Artists and cultural activists recently painted Mogale City colourfully in celebration of Heritage Day and the inaugural 2020 Mogale City Youth Arts and Culture Carnival.

The event was put together by the newly appointed Mogale City Youth Coordinator, Washington Mufahothe, through the Office of the Executive Mayor, Councillor Francis Makgatho.

Set to be an annual event, it seeks to appeal to all South Africans to admire and regard their culture, and respect South Africa’s diverse values and ethos.

In his opening remarks addressing the audience and participants at Coronation Park, Makgatho said, “We as City are proud to bring together diverse cultures and traditions under one umbrella, to celebrate our heritage and customs, and recognise South Africa’s diverse culture.

We want to host this event annually to put our city on the tourist map. Mogale City is as tourist destination and we want to first start with our people to acknowledge their respective cultures before we can welcome tourists to our city.

“Please let us observe the Covid-19 health protocols while we enjoy ourselves.”

Like the famous Cape Town Minstrel Carnival, the event saw more than 200 young artists and others dressed in various costumes representing different cultures and traditions. Participants were dancing from Mogale City Museum, where the event started all the way to Coronation Park.

All the groupings performed in the park after being addressed by the executive mayor and Mufahothe, who said, “This Carnival is the first in Mogale City – more so, from the office of the executive mayor. We want to leave a footprint and a legacy that seek to make our people proud of their diverse cultures.

We want to extend this idea through to our local structures and make sure that young people take part in cultural activities. This will also help them in their school subjects such as arts, culture and drama. We are happy that we managed to work according to adopted Covid-19 protocols and all participants enjoyed the day.”

The inaugural 2020 Mogale City Youth Arts and Culture Carnival forms part of the Mogale City Youth Integrated Strategic Planning, which the Youth Coordinator will unveil during his road shows. The road shows are expected to start around October and end in November.

For the first time in 26 years, with the prohibition of large gatherings due to the Covid-19 pandemic alert Level 1, Mogale City, as done by the entire South Africa, celebrated Heritage Day under strict police and traffic officers’ supervision.