South Africa Festivals & Events

The World Celebrates 90 Years of Nelson Mandela

The battle for the position of grand elder statesman on the African continent was won several years ago by Nelson Mandela. The competition was stiff, for the moral gravity of the anti-apartheid struggle was bound to produce a crop of men of towering stature, tempered by the fire of The Struggle, and burnished by extraordinary, almost obsessive global adulation. If Steve Biko had lived would he have been one of these? No doubt. Biko had a Ché Guevara type iconoclasm that would have been a perfect counterbalance to the determined pacifism of Mandela. However once the bloodletting had passed, it was Mandela alone who emerged as the survivor, and who walked away with the laurels.

One who never will, never could have, but wanted that crown oh so badly is Zimbabwe’s deeply discredited president Robert Mugabe. Arguably Mugabe was the one person on the planet who took no pleasure at seeing Nelson Mandela walk out of Victor Verster Prison a free man in February 1990. Gone in a flash at the that moment was the role of leader of the Frontline States, a grouping of nations bordering South Africa that was succoured by the anti-apartheid struggle. Gone also was the role of leading spokesman for the ant-colonial struggle, for with Mandela’s release that struggle ended, and gone also was the role of most respected black statesman on the continent, for that position was instantly filled by Mandela himself. It just goes to show how capricious life can be, and moreover that it is not always the undeserving that achieve the greatness that they do not deserve.

Date: July 3rd, 2008 | No Comments

Ons Skrik Vir Niks: Exhibitions of Race

Black On Black

In an action rich in irony this week a certain Mr Black successfully brought legal action against the notorious ‘whites only’ South African holiday resort, Broederstroom Vakansie-Oord, situated near the Hartebeespoorte Dam in Gauteng Province. In common with a handful of other facilities, notably the Orange Freestate, an element of white society in South Africa has, and continues to attempt to retain what racial exclusivity the liberal constitution of South Africa will allow. On 5 March this year Mr Black and his wife, who are white but who have two adopted black children, were evicted from the resort thanks to the mixed race status of their family. This enraged Mr. Black, causing him, with some justification, to lodge a complaint against Broederstroom with the South African Human Rights Commission, which in turn initiated proceedings in the Equality Court in terms of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act of 2000.

Date: April 19th, 2008 | No Comments

Things to do in Cape Town: Cape Town Festival 2007

Its nearly time for the 2007 Cape Town Festivall. The dates are from 3 March - 24 March and comprises of hundreds of shows (Many of them free) all over Cape Town.

There is live music, plays, comedians, film, fashion and all sorts of performance and static arts. An extensive schedule as well as general information can be found on the official website.

Tickets for the non-free events can be booked at Computicket.

There is no better way to see such a cross section of the huge cultural diversity and artistic styles that South Africa has to offer. It …

Date: March 1st, 2007 | No Comments

Expand Your Horizons at the Encounters Film Festival

Alert! South Africa’s annual documentary film festival, Encounters, has arrived in Cape Town, and will be offering food for thought on screens at the V&A Waterfront all weekend and beyond.

The festival features a mix of local and international films - over 40 in total - along with several interesting guest appearances. Of particular note are the Palestinian activist Leila Khaled (subject of the film Leila Khaled Hijacker); Erik Gandini and Tarik Saleh of Sweden, who made Gitmo: the New Rules of War, which explores the meaning of the extra-judicial US detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; and Salim Amin of Kenya, whose Mo & Me treats the mid-eighties famine in Ethiopia, and the man whose photographs brought it to the world’s attention.

Date: July 21st, 2006 | No Comments

Knysna Oyster Festival on the Go

South Africa’s Garden Route is currently aflame with passion, as people flock to the Pick ‘n Pay Knysna Oyster Festival, which is gathering steam ahead of its climax this weekend.

Knysna (pronounced “NEYE-zna”) is considered the heart of the famous coastal stretch - from Mossel Bay in the west to Storms River in the east, traversed by the N2 highway (map) - and as such is a very appropriate venue for events that are dedicated to that most Cupid-linked of molluscs, the oyster.

Date: July 4th, 2006 | No Comments