MohalenyanePhakela
MACHABENG College,ThabaBosiu Cultural Village and Morija Museum are set to host the inaugural Manifest Mini Arts Festival in the KOL from 28 – 31 January 2016.
According to the organiser, Palesa Matabane, the festival will showcase budding talent in the drama, poetry, music, film, dance and visual arts sectors. She said the fete will kick off on 28 January at Machabeng College, move to ThabaBosiu Cultural Village on the 29th and move again to Morija Museum the following day.The 31 January finale will be held at Machabeng College.
Matabane said the festival was meant to uplift the arts sector by showcasing the local talent on offer in the country.
“As a writer and performing artist, I saw the need for a proper platform for local acts in different sectors to showcase their talent. That is why I came up with this festival,”Matabane told the Weekender this week.
“By and large, musicians are the most recognized artists in the country, and the most likely to be invited to perform at various events, yet other artists have a lot to tell the world through their crafts.”
She said the festival would afford the usually sidelined poets, drama and visual artists a platform to perform.
“The festival will also give us, as artistes, the opportunity to meet and find ways to work together as well as learning a few things from our established colleagues. It is also meant to expose the artists to audiences they otherwise would not be able to perform to,” said Matabane.
“Each venue will offer a different arts experience, with Machabeng College focusing more on visual arts and crafts, Thaba Bosiu Cultural Village on film and related arts, while Morija Museum will focus on music and poetry performances.”
Among the artistsset to feature at the festival is visual artist Mpho Sephelane, musicians Chino El Vito, Matete Phala and Hlobisile Mhlangu among others, with the screening of a locally-produced film by Epictures.
She added: “The inaugural edition will feature a small group of artists.That is why it is called a mini festival since we will be testing the waters to assess its viability. There will also be an open-mic session for those not included on the line-up.
“I am hoping to make it an annual show which will be bigger next time.However, the ultimate goal is to for the festival to feature artists from such countries such as Swaziland and Botswana to foster collaboration with local acts.
Tickets are available at such shops as Allegria and Green Gate.
