Thato reverted and willing to carve a path through the world of art in eMalahleni
The artist tells us about his pilgrimage and career plans
Mr Thato Simelane, a 26-year-old artist, event organizer, and entrepreneur, is well-known for his artistic work.
This young man has been doing quite well, and he mentioned that one of his companies is Afro Esque Afro centric fashion and couture, as well as Afro Prog Sessions, established in 2018, a company that focuses on producing progressive events that feature African artists.
Understand more about this young person from eMalahleni who has quietly done well with his art work despite being very busy with quite projects.
He worked with Ayashisa Amateki, where he travelled to China to design sneakers, and he is trained by well-known artist Dr Esther Mahlangu.
“I honestly can’t pinpoint a specific moment when I decided to pursue a career as an artist because I was heavily influenced by my artistic family. As a result, I’ve been exposed to fine aesthetics since birth. I also went to an arts high school in Pretoria called Pro Arte, where I studied dramatic arts, so I have theatre experience,” he said.
Mr Simelane added that in Pretoria he had a store that was based in Lynnwood, and then in 2019 he moved the store to Hatfield at the Arts Hub, close to all embassies; there they had a very large tourist and diplomatic cliental at the time.
“Things took a turn for the worse after Covid-19, and we lost the store”, he further added.
He stated that he was motivated to embark on his journey because he is a Pan-Africanist at heart and a firm believer that they must tell their own stories as Africans rather than allow invaders to tell them who they are through stories, art, fashion, music, and everything else that they have to preserve for themselves and future generations so they can know where they come from.
“It’s been a bit rough in the business,” he admitted, but now we’re trying to come back. This is why he is here at eMalahleni establishing a new base because they actually see that there is a demand for all these things they are doing here and they are here at the right time. “It’s quite exciting to be in a new space and to explore and experiment on new ground, but originally I’m from here at eMalahleni,” he added.
His future plans are to keep events consistent so that they can actually create a dependable township economy so that people can know that this market is a constant thing and actually want to have a base for it.
Thato is here to pave the way for the eMalahleni people by challenging the government here in Mpumalanga to give them space, particularly for artists, where they can exhibit their work and sell it to make money, create jobs, develop people skills, and have workshops where they can teach kids and adults hands-on skills.
They are also looking for investors who believe in creating a space for all types of artists, including musicians, visual artists, fashion designers, craftsmen, and all creative entrepreneurs, to exhibit their work and build a sustainable closed economy.
If you have something for them, please contact them at 079 323 0529 or find them on Facebook and Instagram at @Afroesque_sa.
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