Pilani Bubu, the director of the festival. | Supplied
The Folklore Festival, in its third edition, is set to celebrate 30 years of democracy and Heritage Month at the Constitution Hill Women’s Jail on September 14, with a stellar line-up of musicians, authors, spoken word artists, poets, and storytellers.
In addition to its objective to share, document, preserve, and archive African folklore, the folklore community is committed to promoting family-friendly activities and intergenerational discourse.
For children of all ages, the festival also boasts an extensive schedule of educational entertainment, including Logan and Friends with education specialist Dr Jocelyn Logan-Friend, Dr Gcina Mhlophe, and Sho Madjozi with Sho Ma & The Stars.
Dr Madala Kunene, a multifaceted musical anthropologist, Amanda Black, a powerful voice for African identity and women’s empowerment, and Maleh, a phenomenal singer-songwriter, are among the artists on the roster.
Along with well-known activists and performers, the bill of performers also features Mhlophe, a renowned novelist and storyteller, and international singer-songwriter Sho Madjozi.
Pilani Bubu, founder and curator of the Folklore Festival, spoke about the festival, highlighting its essence.
“It is time for this community to come together again to share in culture, creativity, and heritage. This is a family-friendly platform to have those resonant conversations, to hold space for our shared values, and to contribute to nation-building.
“Our goal this year is to build and grow our community by creating intimate bonding moments both in our ‘folklore fireside’ and ‘folklore for kids’ event formats. Giving deeper focus to the multiple disciplines of art presented at our festival. As well as deepening the impact, intention, and meaningful work presented by our storytellers and collaborators. Our main festival will come as a finale and a celebration of the work we have done and the community we have invested in.”
This year, Bubu will perform ‘Nay’Indaba!, reflecting on South Africa’s history past to present in honour of the 30 years of freedom with the festival’s #WeTheFolk theme.
“In the theme of this year’s biggest conversation for the greater South African audience, we too are contemplating 30 years of freedom as we launch our creative platform for the year 2024: On the road to the Folklore Festival Main Stage, the Folklore Community presents: The Folklore Fringe Festival over 30 days in three cities in the spirit of 30 years of Freedom Expressions.
Claudia Bentel, Workshop17 Art Curator said: “As a flexible workspace solution, Workshop17 not only supports the benefits of shared resources but also promotes the importance of community by fostering meaningful relationships both professionally and culturally. For us, being the venue partner for the Folklore Fringe Festival, #WETHEFOLK roots Workshop17 as integral to the sustainability of culture, creativity, and community through the sharing of knowledge and experience.”
The Star
anita.nkonki@inl.co.za