The good works of the Sir Alba Arts Academy
Dancers from the small academy in Etwatwa are winning locally and qualifying internationally, but will never compete overseas unless the institutions meant to support such initiatives actually do so.
Stories by: Tonderai Chiyindiko
The struggle for art at a no-fee school
PJ Simelane Secondary is the last no-fee school in Soweto to offer visual arts up to matric. Artist Senzeni Marasela and the staff are fighting to hold on to the programme.
Soweto’s ‘veranda dojo’ is a symbol of perseverance
Visitors to the Soweto Theatre precinct might be surprised to see a group of young karatekas practise in a space without walls, but their sensei loves that karate is at home among the arts.
‘ISoweto Book Café isondeza izincwadi kubantu’
Le ndawo eseZondi yasungulwa nguThami Mazibuko kanti ingumtapo wolwazi, igumbi lokufundela iphinde ibe yilapho umphakathi uthola khona ulwazi lokufunda nokubhala. Yakhelwe ukusiza zonke izigaba zomphakathi.
Soweto Book Café builds word worlds and connections
Started by Thami Mazibuko, the Zondi space is a library, classroom and community literacy centre, built to serve its residents across generations.
Soweto’s centre for human development through music
Many young people in Jabavu and White City are on a long waiting list for a place at a music institution that teaches more than music and is a portal to potential success.
Growing and giving back through dance
The Soweto Moves Project, on famous Mputhi Street, promotes dance across many styles while emphasising the social importance of the arts.
Independent theatres create access to the arts
Small theatres give artists across disciplines a home in which to experiment and realise their artistic visions when they are shut out of South Africa’s traditional cultural spaces.
A hurtful slap in the face for Celtic’s supporters
In the sale of the iconic Free State heroes and their relocation to KwaZulu-Natal, the fans who stood by Phunya Sele Sele unwaveringly have been blatantly snubbed and left poorer.
‘Flowers’ for founder of the ‘theatre of resistance’
Inspired by a specific play in the 1970s, Maishe Maponya decided to write and stage works of his own. He would later go on to collaborate with, and inspire, many others, even beyond South Africa’s borders.