by Michelle Gumede | Apr 5, 2015 | Featured 1, Lifestyle
The fifth annual Soweto camp festival kicked off yesterday at Lebo’s Backpackers in Soweto and will run right through the Easter Weekend until Monday, April 6.
Situated in the heart of Orlando West at the corner Pooe & Ramushu streets, the festival offers young and old people the chance to camp outdoors for the weekend. People can bring their own tent to the festival or opt to pay for the special package which gets you and a friend access and a free tent that you get to keep for life.
“We want to awaken a camping consciousness, particularly because it is something that is unusual among the Soweto community,” said organiser Lebo Malepa.
Live music bands and local dj’s will provide a variety of entertainment for day visitors and campers. While early morning bicycle tours around Soweto are being offered for free to campers to the nearby Hector Peterson museum and famous Vilikazi street. Board games are available for all to indulge while hammocks provided will be ideal for those who just love to laze around.
Stoves and camp fires are set up at the venue and people are encouraged to bring food that they can cook in the spirit of camping. A gear list for the event includes; linen, utensils, a camp chair, a torch and a cooler bag according to camp maestro Malepa.
Through this event the organisers want to not only school people on camping, but to also to encourage local tourism as well as entrepreneurship among young people.
“The festival is an open space for networking and dialogue with campers from near and far,” said Malepa.
The festival has been organised in conjunction with Ghetto Mentality Entertainmen, the Gauteng Tourism Authority and Johannesburg Tourism.
“We are calling entrepreneurs to come and use the space to meet potential clients and partners and to have open dialogue on how we can move forward as a country as the number of people attending is growing every year,” Malepa said.
Organisers have employed young men and women from the community to do various things like helping to set up tents, and provide security and car guarding.
by Michelle Gumede | Apr 1, 2015 | Featured 1, Lifestyle
Wits Vuvuzela spoke to photographer Matt Kay, whose photographic exhibition “The Front” opened at the Market Photography Workshop in Newtown on March 25. The exhibition showcases the diverse activity on the beaches of the KwaZulu-Natal coastline.
A LOCAL PHOTOGRAPHIC NARRATIVE: Students and lecturers of photography came to the Market Photography Workshop in Newtown to experience Matt Kay’s exhibition on Kwa Zulu-Natal’s coastline. Photo: Michelle Gumede
Matt Kay has had an extraordinary year. Not only did he receive the 2014 Tierney Fellowship, which supports young photographers to produce a body of work over the course of a year, but he was also mentored by renowned South African photographer David Goldblatt.
“I grew up in Nottingham road in Natal, it’s my memories of Durban that inspired this body of work,” Kay said. His previous works were about public spaces, particularly malls, and the beach seemed to be a natural progression from there.
“I wanted to capture and highlight some of the things that I don’t understand, they captivate and interest me”
With images that span the 15 beaches of Durban’s coastline, Kay ‘s exhibition captures the peculiar actions and behaviors of people and nature on the beach. “I wanted to capture and highlight some of the things that I don’t understand, they captivate and interest me”.
“Powerful pictures have details,” said Kay. His photographic representations offer detailed accounts of a multitude of isolated and communal activity from religious baptisms, old women taking a dip in the ocean to dilapidated sand statues.
BEACH LIFE: Photographer Matt Kay has showcased life on the beach through his exhibition on the beaches of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Photo: Samantha Camara.
“It is important to document the coastline now, because the sea moves and change is inevitable, that’s why it must be captured now.”
Having left South Africa in 2004 to travel around the world to places like the Caribbean, Kay returned to find a Durban that had become what he calls a “showpiece for tourism”. Something that he says is not reflective of the daily lives of individuals occupying the space.
He lamented that he “deliberately tried to avoid race”, in his work but conceded that one cannot escape the socio-political and historic background of KwaZulu-Natal.
The artist hopes that he represented the space as honestly as possible and that tourists and South Africans alike will start seeing the space in more layered and meaningful way as opposed to the pristine, generic and “kinda fake” way that the space has been represented.
by Michelle Gumede | Mar 21, 2015 | Featured 1
Joburg is a multicultural space with a variety of social activities that Witsies should take full advantage of. Wits Vuvuzela chose a few of the many exciting spaces of cultural expression.
1. MARKETS
- Neighbourgoods Market (Braamfontein), offers foodies craft beers, homemade gin and healthy food! The rooftop area has striking views of Joburg.
- The Locrate Market (Orlando West), happens every first Sunday of the month from 10:00-17:00.
- Market on Main (Maboneng), young and old can indulge on Sundays in modern art, fashion and food.
NEIGBOURGOODS MARKET ENTRANCE: A vibrant space where your senses are assaulted by a mecca of contemporary crafts, food and fashion. Photo: Samantha Camara.
2. GALLERIES & MUSEUMS
- Wits Arts Museum (WAM), a contemporary space where creatives, entrepreneurs and academics come to enjoy coffee and art.
- JAG (Johannesburg Art Gallery), home to a wide range of artists from the likes of Picasso to our own Gerard Sekoto.
- 1912 Art Gallery (Rockville, Soweto), offers a township perspective of modern art.
- Grayscale Art Gallery (Braamfontein), modern street art that includes graffiti, prints and sculptures.
CONTEMPORARY ART: Grayscale showcases some of the illest art created by young people. Photo: Michelle Gumede
3. POETRY SHACKS
- Word n Sound (Newtown), hosts talented young poets from all around the country. Invigorating minds and inspiring souls through the power of the spoken word.
- Writers on Main (Maboneng), authors and writing enthusiasts can showcase their works and their creative juices.
POETRY FOR ALL: Joburg hosts poetry sessions weekly. Photo:
4. FASHION BRANDS
- Grimetown (Braamfontein), offers urban street fashion, with custom designs to suit your particular taste.
- Thesis (Mofolo, Soweto), popular and trendy brand, for movers and shakers in & around Soweto
- RHTC onlinestore (national), supercool urban wear, RHTC has got your back!
GRIMETOWN: A unique Jozi fashion brand with streetcred. Photo: Tumba Makonga
5. THEATRES
- The Platform Theatre (Kensington)- An underground space for up and coming performers in Jozi
- Soweto Theatre– 3 stages showcase some of South Africa’s best talent. Their ‘food for the soul’ restuarant offers heart warming meals.
- Wits Theatre– A range of quality productions done by Wits drama students. From here, its the world.
THEATRICAL SPECTACLES: The Wits theatre stages dynamic youth productions. Photo: Michelle Gumede
6. MUSIC SESSIONS
SERENITY LOUNGE SESSIONS: Rhythmic sounds that are sure to spunk up your Sundays. Photo: Serenity
7. TATTOO PARLOURS
- True Black Body Art Studios (Newtown), opened in 2012 and has a mass following of tattoo enthusiasts.
- 1933 Classic Tattoos (Braamfontein), urban space for contemporary artists & designs, with an upbeat vibe.
- Deez Tattoos (Braamfontein), one of the best spots in town to hook up imaginative tattoos for young people.
TRUE BLACK: Edgy professional tattoos are done by Ryza. Photo: Michelle Gumede
