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17th Time of the Writer International Festival of Writers 17-22 March 2014

The Centre for Creative Arts (UKZN) is proud to announce the programme for the 17th Time of The Writer: International Festival of Writers - a weeklong showcase set to provoke, inform and inspire interesting debates and panel discussions. The festival, which brings together some of the world’s finest novelist, authors and storytellers to Durban, features participants from India, Kenya, Nigeria, Botswana, Togo, and Guinea takes place from 17-22 March at the UKZN Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre. Twenty writers will be gathering for a week of literary dialogue, exchange of ideas and stimulating discussion under the theme Freeing Our Imagination in solidarity with Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina’s clarion call for Africans to use their creativity to imagine and create a continent free of the existential burdens of colonialism.

 

Opening night (March 17) will feature all participating writers as they make brief presentations at the UKZN Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, with the first night of the festival dedicated to the late great South African thinker, academic and prolific writer, Professor Mbulelo Mzamane, a past participant of Time of the Writer. Prof Mzamane passed away on 15 February, having made his mark through his writing and scholarship with titles including The Children of Soweto, The Children of the Diaspora and other stories of Exile and Where there is no vision the people will perish: Reflections on the African Renaissance among others. Nelson Mandela described him as “visionary leader, [and] one of South Africa’s greatest intellectuals.”

 

The rest of the week’s evening presentations will be panel discussions with writers talking about their writing and the issues dealt with in their work.

 

New Voices from India

The first panel discussion of the festival on Tuesday, 18 March, entitled New Voices from India will focus on writing from the sub-continent with Indian authors Satyagit Sarna and Prajwal Parajuly. Satyagit Sarna is an author and lawyer based in New Delhi. His debut novel Angels Share, described as a love story, a political commentary, and coming-of-age novel, was published in 2012 by Haper Collins. He will be joined by Prajwal Parajuly, whose books The Gurkha's Daughter: Stories and Land Where I Flee have been lauded in international press. This panel discussion will be facilitated by author, Shubnum Khan.

 

Mzansi Women Voices

The second panel of the evening, entitled Mzansi Women Voices features South African writers Angela Makhlowa and Praba Moodley. Returning to Time of the Writer after her debut in 2007 Angela Makhlowa is an author and public relations consultant. She became the first black female crime author with her debut novel Red Ink. She has since published a drama novel, The 30th Candle and will be releasing her third novel later this year. Praba Moodley published her first novel The Heart Knows No Colours in 2003, which was followed up by two more novels, A Scent So Sweet (2006) and Follow Your Heart, the sequel to her debut novel. She writes for magazines and has been featured in publications such as Elle and Oprah Magazine. The panel discussion will be facilitated by author, Shafinaaz Hassim.

 

Writing the Policy Debate

Wednesday’s night (March 19) programme kicks off with a panel discussion titled Writing the Policy Debate, featuring South African writers and political analysts Professors Adam Habib and Paulus Zulu. As one of the country’s most recognizable political analysts and Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of the Witwatersrand, Professor Adam Habib has long been considered one of the most astute experts in the areas of transformation, democracy and development. He holds qualifications in Political Science from the University of Natal and Wits. He earned his master’s and doctoral qualifications from the Graduate School of the City University of New York. His latest work is the book South Africa’s Suspended Revolution.  He will be joined by Professor Paulus Zulu, author and Director of Human Sciences Research Council.  A noted writer, academic and community leader, Professor Zulu holds a PhD from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and has published extensively in the fields of politics and sociology both nationally and internationally. His latest book is entitled A Nation In Crisis. This discussion will be facilitated by Ben Fogel. 


Writing in Francophone Africa: trends and issues.

The second panel discussion of the night is entitled Writing in Francophone Africa: trends and issues. This panel discussion will look trends in Francophone literature with a discussion by authors Sami Tchak(Togo) and Tierno Monénembo(Guinea).  Togolese writer Sami Tchak won the Grand Prix of Black African Literature for the entire range of his work. He has published Femme infidèle, Lomé (1988), Place des Fêtes, (2001), Hermina (2003), La fête des masques, (2004), Le paradis des chiots, (2006), Filles de Mexico (2008). Tierno Monénembo was born in Guinea but has lived in exile in Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal before settling in France and Cuba. He has published nine novels and a stage play since 1983. Tierno Monénembo is the winner of France's 2008 prix Renaudot, which is awarded annually to the author of an outstanding original novel. He won the prize for his book, "The King of Kahel." The panel discussion will be facilitated by Bernard DeMeyer of UKZN French department and is presented in partnership with the French Institute of South Africa.

 

Writing the Historical Moment

Thursday night’s activities open with the panel discussion Writing the Historical Moment looks at key historical moments shaping the current South African political landscape. This panel will take the form of an in-depth interview that will feature activist, researcher and political economist Professor Patrick Bond. Bond is an academic with extensive research whose work draws from NGO work in urban communities and with global justice movements in several countries. He is currently the Director of the Centre for Civil Society at UKZN and is involved in research on economic justice, geopolitics, climate, energy and water. This panel discussion will be facilitated by Xolani Benedict Dube. 

 

Chronicling the Contemporary African Story

Time of The Writer has a strong history of spotlighting young talented writers dealing with contemporary topics. The festival aims to create an even greater focus on stories from the younger generation and this is highlighted in the second panel of the night. Chronicling The Contemporary African Story brings together two South Africa authors, Kgebetli Moele and Niq Mhlongo. Kgebetli Moele’s debut novel, Room 207, was published in 2006 by Kwela books and was short-listed for the Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for Best First Book (Africa) in 2007. It was the joint-winner of the Herman Charles Bosman Prize for English fiction as well as joint-winner of the University of Johannesburg Prize for Creative Writing in the debut category. His second novel, Book of the Dead received the South African Literary Award in 2010. He released his third novel Untitled-A Novel in 2013. Niq Mhlongo is a Soweto born journalist and author. Mhlongo has presented his work at key African cultural events, including the Caine Prize Workshop, and was a 2008 International Writing Program fellow at the University of Iowa.  He released his debut novel Dog Eat Dog in 2004, which has been translated into Spanish. He has since released two more novels, After Tears (2007) and the highly praised Way Back Home in 2013. The panel discussion will be facilitated by Duduzile Mabaso. 

 

Story-telling Programme

Understanding the rich history that storytelling carries on the continent, The Time of The Writer festival is excited to present a story-telling programme, in collaboration with the Gcinamasiko Arts & Heritage Trust, taking place on Friday, March 21. This will see two storytellers, Nomsa Mdlalose and Mshai Mwangola in a panel discussion that will look at the art of storytelling. Mdlalose is a South African storyteller with years of experience and is the Managing Director of Kwesukela Storytelling Academy with a Master’s Degree in Storytelling. Through her work at the Academy, she promotes the ancestral oral tradition as a heritage of sophistication, wisdom and philosophy. Nairobi-native Mshai Mwangola is talented performance scholar, storyteller, and oraturist. She has performed, conducted performance workshops, researched and worked with and for diverse performance ensembles and individuals in four continents with a career spanning over 25 years in acting, directing and story-telling. She is the chairperson of the Governing Council of the Kenya Cultural Centre. The panel will be facilitated by Dr. Gcina Mhlophe.

 

From The Mouth of Babes

The second panel of the night will focus on youth literature, From The Mouth of Babes, featuring youth literature writers, Lauri Kubuitsile (Botswana) and Khulekani Magubane (South Africa). Lauri Kubuitsile is a writer living in Botswana who has published three children’s books, two detective novellas and three collections of short stories for children co-written with two other Botswana writers. She has published three romance novels with Sapphire Press- Kwaito Love, Can He Be The One?, and Mr Not Quite Good Enough. Kubuitsile was the 2007 winner of the BTA/ Anglo Platinum Short Story Contest and the recipient of the Botswana Ministry of Youth and Culture’s Orange Botswerere Award for Creative Writing in the same year. In 2009 she won the Baobab Literary Prize (USA) in the junior category and in 2010 in the senior category. She was on the shortlist for the 2011 Caine Prize. Khulekani Magubane is a South African journalist and author. At the age of 23 has published more than 18 books in the past 8 years. Although he is a children’s author his work deals with issues such as class, race and religion. Saneliswe Ntuli will facilitate the panel discussion.

 

In addition, Time of The Writer and the Gcinamasiko Arts & Heritage Trust will host a special matinée for children to be held at the UKZN Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre on Saturday, 22 March at 14h00 – 16h30. The matinée will feature Mdlalose and Mwangola where they will be joined by Gogo MaBhengu and Lwazi Thwala.

 

New African Women Writers Rising

The final day of the festival features a discussion entitled New African Women Writers Rising, will focus on the stories and work being produced by young female writers from Africa. This panel discussion will feature prolific authors, Hawa Jande Golakai(Liberia) and Chibundu Onuzo (Nigeria).  Born in Liberia, Hawa Jande Golaka moved around extensively with her family due to political and economic unrest. She lived in Togo, Ghana and Zimbabwe before coming to Cape Town as a student in 2003. She trained and worked as a medical researcher in immunology. Her first novel The Lazarus Effect is a gripping fictional drama set in Cape Town.  She will be joined by Nigerian author Chibundu Onuzo, a young author whose debut novel The Spider’s King Daughter has received critical acclaim. She has been shortlisted for this year’s Commonwealth Book Prize and the 2012 Dylan Thomas Prize as well as longlisted for the Desmond Elliot prize in the same year. This panel discussion will be facilitated by writer Sandile Ngidi. 

Finding the South African Funny Bone features South African writers, Sarah Britten and Zukiswa Wanner. Britten is a former journalist, artist and author from Johannesburg. She has been published extensively and wrote her Master’s research report on South African humour (with a focus on Madam and Eve) and has a doctorate in Applied English Language Studies. She has published three novels focussing on the colourful and unique art of South African insults, The Art of the South African Insult, McBride of Frankenmanto: The Return of the South African Insult, More South African Insults. Zukiswa Wanner is a journalist, author and blogger. Wanner’s works include The Madams: A Wildly Provocative Novel (2007), Behind Every Successful Man (2008) Men of the South (2010). Her latest work is Maid in SA: 30 Ways to Leave Your Madam (2013). She is a founding member of the ReadSA initiative, a campaign encouraging South Africans to read South African works. The panel discussion will be facilitated by writer and radio personality Ndumiso Ngcobo.

Seminars and WorkshopsIn addition to the nightly panel discussions at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre, the festival’s Community Outreach programme features a broad range of day activities including seminars and workshops that aim to promote a culture of reading, writing and creative expression. The festival also conducts visits to schools, and presents a prison writing programme. Book launches take place at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre’s Wellington Tavern deck prior to the evening shows, from 18h45.

Tickets are R25 for the evening sessions, R10 for students, and can be purchased through Computicket or at the door one hour before the event. Workshops and seminars are free.

For more details about this years’ Time of the Writer, visit www.cca.ukzn.ac.za or call (031) 2602506.

 

Organised by the Centre for Creative Arts(University KwaZulu-Natal), the 17th Time of the Writer is supported by the City of Durban, the French Institute of South Africa, and the KZN Department of Arts and Culture. The Centre for Creative Arts is housed in the College of Humanities at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and is a special project of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Cheryl Potgieter.

 

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AFDA Durban Open Day Saturday, 8 March

Prospective film students and their parents are invited to the AFDA Open Day  at the Durban Campus in 2A Highdale Road, Glen Anil on Saturday, 8 March.

 

The AFDA Durban Campus which recently saw an upgrade to its facilities and technical equipment to the value of R 1, 2 Million, currently offers an Undergraduate BA Degree in Motion Picture Medium or Live Performance with specializations offered under the Film, TV and Performance Schools. The Open Day presentation begins at 10am and will be followed by tours and demonstrations within each of the schools within the campus.

 

AFDA Durban Campus Dean, Mr Franco Human and AFDA Chairman, Mr Garth Holmes will begin the day with an overview of the degree course followed by Heads of schools and lecturers demonstrating further details of the areas of specialization offered within the degree course.

 

For students who wish to apply for next year, the campus will also have dedicated online application stations available to apply at for the Undergraduate Degree on the day. Current AFDA Durban Campus students will be on hand to assist in the applications of prospective students. For interviews with any of the AFDA Durban Campus lecturers, Dean or AFDA Chairman Mr Garth Holmes, contact Milena Gevers on (031) 569-2252 or e-mail milenag@afda.co.za or dbncampus@afda.co.za

AFDA Durban Campus Invests in new Facilities and Technical Gear

Investing heavily in the quality of its educational programme and students’ creative output, the AFDA Durban Campus has recently spent over R 1, 2 Million to add to their technical equipment and campus facilities.

 

All post-production facilities have been furnished with new workstations, the library has couches, and the entire campus sees 150 new chairs and new signage on all venues along with the inclusion of a new 5.1 surround sound studio.   Editing, sound and visual effects studios see a number of new iMac machines installed with the latest industry software.   A new 5.1 Mix Surround Sound Suite has been kitted with the latest sound equipment ranging from perception 220 microphones, cross-faders, 20 channel sound-card to the new Avid Control software as well as a sound-proofed voice-over / Foley recording studio which enables filmmakers to reproduce everyday sound effects and quality voice over dialogue which are added to film, video and other mediums in post-production to enhance audio quality.

 

The Actor’s Studio has also seen an extension with a new fully equipped stage being installed and is fitted with high powered Par Can LED lights, Axial spot lights, Fresnel lanterns with barn doors and a control desk for all electrical equipment.

 

The most exciting, high tech equipment has been acquired for the Film School with the cinematography department receiving the latest camera equipment - some of the exciting gadgets include pocket sized Black Magic cinema cameras which record 1080HD ProRes 422 (HQ) direct to fast SD cards for quick editing or colour correcting on a laptop or pc, along with a steadicam and a DJI Phantom helicam with a GoPRo for overhead filming. 

 

AFDA Durban Campus Dean and Chief Operating Officer, Franco Human said “The new additions to an already successful learning program, are a clear indication that our campus is on a par with our Johannesburg and Cape Town Campuses who are considered to be above international standards when it comes to educational content and the production of film content”.

 

The AFDA Durban Campus will also be hosting an Open Day on Saturday, 08 March for students interested in enrolling into either their first, second or 3rd year programme. For more information on the event or about AFDA you can contact Milena Gevers on (031) 569-2252 or e-mail her on milenag@afda.co.za.

 

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Smartcard for public transport means bus coupons to be discontinued soon

Durban commuters using public transport can look forward to a swifter, more efficient and safer payment method as the deadline to change to the cashless card system looms.

 

The bus coupons that have been used on the Durban Transport and Mynah busses since the early 90’s will be discontinued on 1 April 2014 and replaced with the MUVO Card – the City’s new cashless smartcard.

 

Commuters who get their MUVO Cards now and use it 10 times or more until 1 April 2014 stand a chance to win free transport for one year with weekly draws giving 10 commuters the opportunity to win.

 

As part of GO!Durban, the massive Integrated Rapid Public Transport Network, the MUVO card is the cashless card that will eventually be used on all the public transport within the network which sees the integration of  public transport with dedicated lanes for busses and upgraded transport corridors for rail.

 

“The card was launched in July 2012 and was gradually phased in across all regions.” says Thami Manyathi, Head of the eThekwini Transport Authority. “This gradual approach enabled the project team to bed down operational and system teething problems and the system is now operating well with 32 000 commuters having already “moved over to Muvo.” ”

 

Muvo Cards are a progressive step towards modernising the current transport system. The card is a single Smartcard that can be used across all three of Durban’s primary bus lines: the Durban Transport, Mynah and People Mover busses. By loading cash to the MUVO Card, users are able to travel to central and greater Durban areas using the interchanging routes travelled by these buses. The card has been designed with two main choices, to either load cash or load specific trips.

 

The benefit of the MUVO Card is that it can be loaded with travel products that only expire after 3 years, whereas the coupon expires after 2 weeks.  The card can also be loaded with cash which can be used to pay for goods and services at retail outlets that display “MUVO accepted here” signage. The card eliminates the need to carry cash on the bus and to do other transactions and each card has a secret pin that the user chooses which safeguards it like a debit or credit card.

 

The MUVO Card has been certified by Mastercard and the National Department of Transport’s compliance Agency making it fully compliant with banking and regulatory requirements.

 

The card is being issued free of charge until 1 May 2014, one month after the bus coupons have been discontinued, from which point a charge will be levied for the card.

 

PayPoints have been set-up at the same locations where bus coupons are sold - look out for the branded MUVO SmartVans - with the addition of some Municipal Sizakala Centres to increase commuter convenience.

 

Pensioners, people with disabilities and scholars will also be catered for with the new system through a concession card programme that will follow a simple and convenient application process.

 

For enquiries about the MUVO Card call  080 000 6886 or SMS your name and a short description of your question to our free of charge SMS line 44524 and one of our brand ambassadors will call you back.

 

For a full list of Muvo PayPoints visit the Muvo websitewww.muvo.co.za, and for more information on the GO!Durban project go towww.godurban.co.za..

 

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7th Talents Durban at the Durban International Film Festival 18-22 July 2014

The 35th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, with support from Berlinale Talents, is proud to announce the opening of applications for 7th Talents Durban taking place 18-22 July. Applicants can apply online atwww.durbanfilmfest.co.za before the closing date of 31 March 2014.

 

This year’s Talents Durban’ theme Continent of Contrast/ de Contrastes is an ode to the godfather of African cinema, Djibril Diop Mambéty’s, first film Contras'city (City of Contrast). Celebrating the 45th anniversary of the film, the 7th Talents Durban looks to bring film makers from across the continent draw inspiration from Africa’s long tradition of story-telling. Breaking away from the stereotypical and homogenous narrative Africa, this year’s edition of Talents Durban aims to highlight the truth that this continent is home to a myriad of cultures, colours, stories. The 7th Talents Durban looks to not only highlight the stories of Africa, but create a culture of Africans telling their own stories.

 

Now in its 7th edition, Talent’s Durban looks to continue its proud history of acting as a launching pad for filmmakers from Africa. Understanding the unique needs and challenges facing film makers on the continent, Talent’s Durban looks to provide film makers with the tools to enable their careers to thrive in the international film industry.

 

 The programme provides the selected participants with a unique opportunity to meet with international industry professionals, experts and mentors in various aspects of the filmmaking business through participation in a 5-day programme of master classes, workshops and industry networking events. Running in parallel to the 35th Durban International Festival programme, this year’s Talent Campus Durban will offer three hands-on training programmes: Doc Station which will focus on documentary-making, Talent Press which is dedicated to film criticism and Script Station which will supports story development. Doc Station will offer three selected Talents the opportunity to refine and polish documentary projects for pitching at the 5th Durban FilmMart’s DOC Circle. Meanwhile, Talent Press will mentor four African journalists in the art of film criticism with access to all the screenings of the 35th Durban International Film Festival, creating reviews that will be published on numerous platforms. Script Station will offer the opportunity to writers to develop their stories while pitching their ideas to a panel of industry experts. Talents will also have access to the networking events available during the film festival.

 

Applications for the 7th Talents Durban are completed through an online application process. Applicants must meet the criteria found on website. The application deadline is 31 March 2014. Applications and materials which arrive after 31 March will not be considered. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Successful applicants will be informed via email and the website by 21 April 2014.

 

Application forms and full regulations available at www.durbanfilmfest.co.za

 

Talent’s Durban is presented in partnership with Berlinale Talents, with support from the German Embassy of South Africa, the Goethe-Institute of South Africa, and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism. Through the international programme, with a networks that extends to Talents International events in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Sarajevo and Tokyo, as well as Durban, participants are initiated into a global community of filmmakers and connected via a wide social network platform operated through the Berlinale.

 

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AFDA Durban Campus’ New Faces

New faces join the AFDA Durban Campus this year to bolster the already impressive lecturing line up with a mixture of experience and youth.

 

 

Respected and well-known television personality Carmen Langston Mitchell joins the Durban team with a wealth of experience and will be lecturing and mentoring first and second year television students. Langston Mitchell has an impressive career in the media industry, having worked locally and internationally as a producer, director, scriptwriter and presenter for programmes including “Top Billing” on SABC 3, “The Cosmo Show” and “Carte Blanche” on M-Net, “60 minutes”, BBC’s “Changing Rooms”, BBC’s “Newsround” and “BBC World News”. She also worked as a social editor and features writer for Style Magazine and was the celebrity lifestyle columnist for Media 24’s YOU Magazine.

 

Former AFDA Cape Town Campus student, Ashleigh Hart who obtained an AFDA Bachelor of Arts Honours in Motion Picture Medium joins the Screen Design Department in the school of film as Costume, Make Up and Styling & Production Design Lecturer. Ashleigh recently won Gold at the AFDA 2013 Awards for Costume, Make-up and Styling for the film The Other Woman (an Honours Graduation Film) directed by former AFDA Cape Town Campus student Thea Small as well as Best Postgraduate Film and the Critics Choice Award. During postgraduate year at AFDA she also worked on the feature film Die Windpomp, as well as a Ster-Kinekor Vision Mission commercial.

 

New Marketing Assistant, Purity Shezi-Magaya joins the Marketing Department headed by Milena Gevers at the AFDA Durban Campus. Having graduated with a National Diploma in Marketing Management, Purity comes with a bag of experience having worked with the Vodacom KZN Regional offices and working with various brands at The Creative Council promotions agency.

 

Franco Human, Dean of the AFDA Durban Campus commented “We welcome the new staff to the Durban Campus. I am sure that they will add much value to their respective departments. It’s our second year since our opening of this campus and we look forward to adding to the benchmark set by our first intake of students.”

 

Registration for AFDA Durban is open till Friday, 07 February. For registration details and general information call (031) 569-2252 or e-mail milenag@afda.co.za.

 

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Time of the Writer International Writers’ Festival Schools Short Story Competition

The 17th Time of the Writer International Writers’ Festival hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal invites high school learners to submit their short stories for the annual Schools Short Story Competition by Thursday, 28 February 2014.

 

Held in conjunction with the festival, The Time of the Writer Schools Short Story Competition is open to all high school learners and aims to encourage creative expression in young people. This competition is the springboard for future storytellers of South Africa. With its long-standing commitment towards nurturing a culture of reading and writing, especially amongst the youth, this competition has received wide and growing appeal in previous editions of Time of the Writer. There is no particular topic for the short stories and they can be written in English, isiZulu or Afrikaans. A maximum of 5 pages (preferably typed) are to be written. Illegible entries will not be considered.

 

The Time of the Writer festival takes place from 17- 22 March 2014. As one of the country’s premier literature festivals, Time of the Writer brings together some of the world’s best authors, publishers, and editors; it also offers a platform to KwaZulu-Natal talent. The festival provides Durban with an educational yet entertaining programme of workshops, reading sessions and panel discussions. This year’s edition of the festival will also include a storytelling focus in partnership with Gcinamasiko Arts & Heritage Trust.

 

In addition to the nightly showcases, a broad range of free day activities including seminars and workshops are formulated to promote a culture of reading, writing and creative expression. This includes the educator’s forum with teachers, on the implementation of literature in the classroom, the community writing forum with members of the public interested in literature as well as visits to schools by the festival participants. 

 

For more information on the festival or the competition, please contact the Centre for Creative Arts on 031 260 2506/1816 or email cca@ukzn.ac.za.

 

Entries can be submitted via any one of the following methods:

Email: cca@ukzn.ac.za

Fax: 031 260 3074

Hand delivery: Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, Mazisi Kunene Ave, Durban, 4041, South Africa.

 

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Business and Arts South Africa lines up impressive 2014 calendar

Business and Arts South Africa (NPC) is again cementing its standing as the country’s leading art-business agency with an excellent line-up of events and programmes in 2014.

A significant portion of the 2014 calendar is aimed at BASA business members, underscoring the benefits of business membership to the organization.

 

There are also a number of events that continue BASA’s commitment to bettering business skills in the arts sector, in particular the extensive BASA Education Programme for 2014.

We have spent a great deal of energy and time preparing different programmes and initiatives that work in tandem creating an equitable and sustainable business-arts partnerships for the benefit of the whole of society says BASA CEO, Michelle Constant.”

Among the member-focused events are the upcoming BASA Africa Breakfasts series. These events explore how the arts act as a progressive enabler for business entering African markets, and will feature case studies and speakers both locally and from the continent.” The first event takes place in March.

 

Following on from the successful inaugural event in 2013, the 2014 Business and Arts South Africa Arts in Business Symposium will demonstrate how arts based initiatives can drive and develop innovation, create sustainable value and increase profitability in business. Globally renowned arts and business expert, Giovanni Schiuma kicked off the series last year and drew a capacity audience to the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) in October.

 

A highlight is sure to be the 17th Business Day BASA Awards, supported by Hollard. The Awards jointly sponsored by Business Day and Business and Arts South Africa and supported by Hollard, recognise and reward excellence and innovation in the field of business support for the arts.

 

In addition, BASA will continue with its firm commitment to innovate in the business-arts terrain, as seen by last year’s development of the BASA | Middel & Partners SED Programme. Already in use by businesses, big and small, the programme provides a simplified on-line platform for businesses to maximise their SED points on their B-BBEE scorecard BASA’s three-tiered Education Programme is part of a commitment to developing innovative educational programmes that seek to ensure the relevance and sustainability of the arts in society.

 

Arts organisations and individuals wishing to start a non-profit or for profit organisation are the target of BASA Basics. The programme introduces emerging artists to the legal options and processes available in the establishment of an arts organisation, and further supports arts organisations with simple workable business models in order to take the organisation forward.

 

For arts organisations wanting to go the for profit route, BASA has established a partnership with Shanduka Black Umbrellas that enables BASA to jointly identify potential high impact businesses in the arts sector and provide these businesses with the skills, support and development they require in order to become sustainable and create jobs

 

BASA Intermediate is aimed at registered arts organisations with a basic business model and plan. The intermediate programme focuses on the strategic objectives developed from the overall business model/plan... Finally, BASA Professional is aimed arts organisations that have been in operation for couple of years but are faced with strategic organisational challenges including governance, marketing and HR.

 

As a demonstration of BASA’s holistic approach, the Business and Arts South Africa’s Mentorship programme continues to play a role in introducing better business skills into the arts sector, these are just some of the extensive range of programmes and events that BASA will be driving this year, to keep up-to-date, go to www.basa.co.za. The website also contains detailed information on membership and more.

 

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About BASA (NPC):

 

Business and Arts South Africa is an internationally recognised development agency which incorporates the arts into, and contributes to, corporate commercial success. With a suite of integrated programmes, Business and Arts South Africa encourages mutually beneficial partnerships between business and the arts in order to grow SHARED VALUE. Business and Arts South Africa was founded in 1997 as a joint initiative of government and the business sector, as a public/private partnership.

GO!Durban starts moving towards its delivery of the IRPTN.

The GO!Durban project which will provide a fully integrated rapid public transport network for the people of eThekwini has started to roll-out ahead of major milestones in the first quarter of 2014. The City’s future vision to be one of Africa's leading metropolitan areas by 2030 will soon revolutionize and modernize the way of life for all citizens, tourists and business people travelling through our City.

The award of 6 construction contracts to the value of R 3 billion for the C3 (Pinetown to Bridge City) corridor will take place shortly. The 7th contractor is already on site. Tenders for construction on corridors C1 (Bridge City to CBD) and C9 (Bridge City to Umhlanga) are scheduled to be advertized before the end of the financial year. Tenders for the Integrated Fare Management Services (IFMS) and (Intelligent Transport System (ITS) have already been advertised, and should be awarded by May 2014. The commencement of construction, consolidation of the ”Muvo” card (the cashless card system), engaging with community stakeholders, businesses and the eThekwini citizens, as well as the launch of a mobile marketing bus will drive the project in early 2014.

The roll-out of GO!Durban is based on a “wall to wall” plan, which details a network of 9 trunk corridors supported by feeder and complimentary services covering the whole City, with different modes of public transport (rail, bus and taxi) integrated to provide seamless, efficient and affordable service. Phase 1, which consists of C1, C2 (Bridge City to Umlazi – rail), C3 and C9 corridors, is planned for completion by 2018.

The Phase 1 network will accommodate approximately 25% of the City’s public transport demand on corridors C1, C3 & C9, with a further 40% being accommodated on the C2 rail corridor, as part of Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) implementation plans. This approach ensures a recognisable benefit to the maximum number of users in the shortest period of time.

Construction on the C3 corridor will see construction of dedicated median bus lanes, as well as platforms for transfer stations, which will be built under a separate contract. On some sections of the corridor, like through the Pinetown CBD, the road will be rehabilitated, strengthened and widened, as necessary, and current traffic problems in the area addressed.

The commencement of construction activities will also mark the start of the implementation of the GO!Durban Empowerment Charter, which promotes participation of priority business entities in all contracts, subcontracting to local contractors , and sourcing of materials from local suppliers. The Charter also promotes the utilization of local unskilled labour, skills development, employment of unemployed graduates, and corporate social investment.

Negotiations with existing minibus taxi and bus operators with regard to their participation in the GO!Durban system will be crucial for the success of the system. Consultation between the ETA and operators has been ongoing for quite some time. The primary aim of this consultation has been to achieve in principle support for the new system, as well as set out the framework and principles to guide the negotiations around service delivery contracts to be signed with operators. Memoranda of Agreement between the City and the operators are planned for signing in the near future.

PRASA (Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa) continues to drive the improvements along the C2 Corridor, with approximately R1bn being earmarked for upgrade of their stations as part of the National Modernization Programme. Additional investments will go toward upgrading the signalling system and infrastructure on the corridor, as well as the acquisition of new rolling stock, with delivery of new train sets expected to start toward the end of 2015.

The GO!Durban activation bus has been launched which provides a mobile promotional and information platform to engage with communities, schools and public forums from meetings to events to disseminate information about the project. The bus was launched at the ETA by His Worship The Mayor Cllr James Nxumalo and Head of ETA Mr Thami Manyathi.

“As GO!Durban will have a significant impact on every single one of our citizens,  we  wish to extend our communication into the heart of as many communities as we can.” said Cllr Nxumalo, “While we will have an information centre at our project office in Morningside, and we have numerous engagements planned with stakeholders, we want to be able to speak to as many people as we can, to inform them about  the project, to help them understand the benefits of the new system, and to get them excited about their future, living in the city. This activation bus will mean that we are mobile, and accessible to an optimum number of the people in the city.”

The vehicle was used for transport between the Airport and Moses Mabhida Stadium for the World Cup and has been customised to provide information screens, a Muvo card machine and mobile PA system for interactive and experiential promotions in all environments. The Bus will activate information days to communities and schools prior to the roll out of the GO!Durban system.

Access to more information on Tender Applications, Construction, Information Days, Community engagement and other public forums or engagements can be found on the GO!Durban website www.godurban.co.za

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Flatfoot Dance Company Auditions

Award winning African contemporary dance company, Flatfoot Dance Company, will be hosting auditions on Saturday, 25 January from 13:30pm – 16:00pm at the Dance Studio 2 located at the University of KwaZulu-Natal Howard College Campus for prospective full time dancers who would be interested in joining the company.

 

Based at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus the Flatfoot Dance Company are looking for a female dancer (over 19 years of age) who would be interested in joining the company on a full-time professional contract (35 hours a week) as of 1 February 2014. The company has a full time annual programme that includes performance season both in and out of South Africa, dance education and development programmes, and schools/university dance education work. Working in a contemporary idiom based on Hawkins, Graham and Release Technique and also do a weekly ballet and pilates/yoga class. All flatfoot dancers form part of the administration of the company and its programmes and, as such, the new company member will need to be able to write reports (guidance is always offered!) and assist with negotiated administrative tasks.

 

Applicants must have a minimum of two years full time or part-time contemporary dance training or professional dance work, proven dance or arts education experience (formal or non-formal education will be considered). Only applicants over the age of 19 will be considered and must be computer literate and must have a valid South African Passport. Drivers licence is not a must but will be advantageous for applicants.

 

For more information on the auditions and to pre-book an audition please contact the flatfoot dance company manager Clare Craighead on (082) 875-6065, applicants are also required write a maximum 3 page CV and e-mail it to flatfootdancecompany@gmail.com more information on the auditions is available on www.flatfootdancecompany.webs.com/whatsonwhatsnew. 

AFDA Durban Campus Awards


South of the West, a first year student’s Western Film took home Best First Year Film Award at the inaugural Durban AFDA year end awards on Campus last Friday.

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The awards ceremony was an intimate celebration of the pioneering group of first year students who enrolled in AFDA’s Durban campus at the beginning of this year. Excellence was acknowledged in the following categories: Best First Year Film, Best First Year Animation, Best Television Production, Best Song, Best Group Document Pitch, CLVA Award (student representative body) and most Dedicated Student. “All the students’ awards were nominated through the marks they received for the projects or individual work for the individual awards.  The CLVA award is for the student who is on the CLVA committee who has shown the values of AFDA and voted for by the students in the council” said AFDA Durban Campus Dean, Franco Human.

The keynote speaker at the Awards was AFDA co-founder and CEO, Mr Bata Passchier who congratulated the students on their difficult and enjoyable journey as the pioneering group of students at the Campus. He also went on to thank staff members at the campus along with the parents of the students by saying, “The task of an excellent teacher is to stimulate seemingly ordinary minds into unusual effort and guide them to their success, and it is no easy task.  After a short journey we all sit here this morning overwhelmed with pride and I would like to congratulate the staff and students for getting this far.  A special thanks and congratulations need to be extended to your parents.  Without their support none of this would be possible”. 

Lloyd O’Connor, Head of the Performance School commented by saying “Bryce Courtney, the author of The Power of One, once said, ‘Winning is a state of mind that embraces everything you do’. Reflecting on this I think to one degree or another all the students are winners but those who won awards had an extra edge. What it means to win for a performer in any discipline is nothing short of a self-actualising experience.”
In his first year project straight out of the Wild West, Nathan Rice, first time director and writer wanted to pay homage to the great Hollywood Westerns, but with a distinctly South African subtext. Our hero, played by Zwakele Majozi enters what seems to be a “whites only” bar, he asks for Whiskey. Super bad cowboy played by AFDA student Charles Matthews, confronts him and a shoot- out ensues. Our hero shoots  dead the bad cowboy and his two cohorts. He again asks for Whiskey, and Whiskey comes in the door - turns out she’s the local good time girl  - and they leave the bar hand in hand, watched by a bemused barman. “The film is slick, well shot, great production design and almost flawless continuity in lighting, shot selection and performance. These disciplines along with the editing, VFX and sound design have set a bench mark for first year films” said Lecturer Richard Green, Head of the Film School.

Other winners on the night were Man In a Box for Best Group Pitch, Kryptoheight for Best First Year Animation, 031 Pulse for Best Television Production, Do Not Disturb for Best Stage Performance, Lauren Flockhart for Best Song, Anja Schuulst for the CLVA Award and Temara Prem for Most Dedicated Student.

Applications and registrations for AFDA’s first year students for 2014 are open. To apply, register for enrollment or find out more information contact Milena on milenag@afda.co.za.
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Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) calls for entries 2014

The Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) will celebrate its 35th edition from 17th to 27th July 2014 with over 250 screenings of cutting-edge cinema from around the world with a special focus on films from South Africa and Africa. The largest of Southern Africa’s film festivals, and the most important film festival in Africa, DIFF has a film competition component and also presents screenings in township areas where cinemas are non-existent.  

The festival will consider films completed in 2013 and 2014, and there is no charge for entry. All submissions must be entered via the Eventival online system at http://vp.eventival.eu/cca/diff2014. In order to submit a film you will need to create a free visitor account (if you have not already done so in previous years), then follow the online process. Finally, send us your DVD screener before the deadline. We are accepting submissions of both short and feature length fiction and documentary films. The deadline for all entries is 28th March 2014.

“We look forward to once again receiving a wealth of top quality films from around the globe,” says festival manager Peter Machen. “We also welcome input from and engagement with current and potential partners who support the development of the film industry on the continent. It is through collaboration that we can offer film-makers and the public a festival of brilliant film and a worthwhile industry development programme.”

Specific streams of programming for 2014 will include a focus on 20 years of democracy in South Africa, as well as films that explore architecture in various ways. This latter stream of programming acknowledges the World Congress of Architects, which will take place in Durban in 2014 the week after DIFF.

DIFF 2014 will also offer extensive seminar and workshop programmes, which will feature local and international filmmakers and industry professionals. These include the 7th Berlinale Talents Durban (18th to 22nd July), in cooperation with Berlinale Talents, and the 5th Durban FilmMart (18th to 21st July), in partnership with Durban Film Office.

For more information visit: www.durbanfilmfest.co.za or email diff@ukzn.ac.za. Follow the festival on twitter: @DIFFest.

The festival is organised by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and is supported by the National Film and Video Foundation, the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, the City of Durban and other valued funders and partners. The CCA is a special project of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Cheryl Potgieter, in the College of Humanities at UKZN.

The Legend of Blue Mamba a graphic novel created by N.D. Mazin - Durban launch December 6 at KZNSA

To be launched at the KZNSA Arts Café in Bulwer Road, Durban, on Friday 6 December at 6pm, The Legend of Blue Mamba a graphic novel created by N.D. Mazin (aka Andy Mason) is a wild and wacky look at the South African surfing scene, wrapped up in a horror comic about a legendary surfer’s valiant struggle against the exploitation of surf culture by big business and the not-so-secret plundering of our coastal resources by international mining companies. 

The story began in the mid-1990s when Andy created his own Blue Mamba surf brand for his pre-teen sons and their surf-mad friends, but soon found its way into a Durban surf mag, before becoming an underground comic series published in the Durban fanzine Mamba Comix. The strip then morphed into the web-comic Azaniamania on the surfing website wavescape.co.za, before taking its final shape as a colourful graphic novel in which all of these previous strips are collected alongside a substantial addition of new material.

Drawn in the classic underground comix style pioneered by Gilbert Shelton and R. Crumb, the book documents the rise and fall of Blue Mamba, a homeless urchin who becomes a wave-riding champ and legendary soul surfer before being lured by Y.T. Sharke, the Mephistophelian CEO of Toxacorp (Pty) Ltd, into selling his face to be used in the branding of their toxic products.

When he tries to back out of this Faustian pact, Blue’s face is literally “ripped off” and he is left faceless and bleeding in the gutters of a sleazy Durban precinct known as Nu Babylon. Determined to get his face back, he becomes SubCommandante Mamba of the World Revolutionary Ecological Combat Kabal (WRECK) and mounts a fierce but ultimately doomed “armed struggle” against Toxacorp.

According to Andy, “Blue Mamba is a chameleonic repository of our deepest hopes, fears and contradictions. I suppose in the end the book asks the question: how can we live as authentic beings in a world where our heroes become brand ambassadors for corporate enterprises motivated purely by greed, our most treasured beliefs are trashed by cynical manipulators, and our everyday lives are a constant involuntary participation in the reproduction of more toxic garbage? What can we as individuals do to sort out this terrible mess?” 

Now living in Muizenberg, Cape Town, Andy has been producing underground, alternative and educational comics since his “Vittoke in Azania” series first appeared in student newspapers in the late 1970s. His strips still feature many of the same characters, including The Vittokes, a new-age Durban family headed by a hippie surfer and a fanatical nudist.

Over the years, Andy has produced a cartoon history of South Africa, a series of illustrated Street Law manuals and numerous educational comics, has written a book on the history of South African cartooning and published a number of anthologies of local comix and political cartoons, and promoted the use of cartooning in popular education. While in Durban he co-founded Artworks Communications, and established the Durban Cartoon Project and Mamba Comix, where a new post-apartheid generation of South African cartoonists first saw their work in print. More recently he co-founded the Centre for Comic, Illustrative and Book Arts (CCIBA) at Stellenbosch University and continues to organise collaborative cartooning events and publications.

Now, keen to get his comix out to a more mainstream audience, Andy has embarked on the self-publication of The Azaniamania Trilogy, a collection of 30 years of underground cartooning work, of which Blue Mamba is the first book. The book, along with Blue Mamba merchandise including posters and T-shirts, will be on sale at the launch and at the KZNSA shop.

Guest speaker for the launch on Friday, December 6 at 6pm is Andy Davis, publisher of Mahala.co.za and Zigzag Surf Mag, and music will be provided by Chappy and the Chunemungers, featuring Andy’s close friends Chris Chapman, Ilan Lax, Rick and Gill Andrew, with special guest Alan Judd.

Copies of the book can be purchased online from readersden.co.za or blankbooks.co.za, and is available in Cape Town from Readers Den, The Book Lounge, Clarke’s Books and Blank Books. It will soon also be available from selected bookshops in Durban and Johannesburg. Visit www.ndmazin2.wordpress.com for more info.

AFDA Annual Film Festival November 22, 23 and 24 – Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg

The AFDA Annual Film Festival, which showcases 3rd year, 4th year and master's graduation productions, will take place in Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg the last weekend in November.

 

The festival is also a platform to promote the young professionals who will soon enter into the mainstream film and television industry. Students are required to conceptualize and produce their graduation films that, while of an artistically high standard are also commercially viable. At the festival a panel of industry professionals assesses the films and there are also opportunities for audiences to give feedback. The festival sees many industry professionals; alumni and general public gathering to celebrate the exhibition and promotion of these young film makers and their films at Ster-Kinekor in their commercial cinemas.

 

Last year student films such as ‘Kanye Kanye’ directed by Miklas Manneke, ‘Jean Pant’ directed by Rowen Smith, ‘Keeping Up Appearances’ directed by Thea Small and ‘The Brave Unseen’ co directed by Duan Myburgh attracted attention from major festivals such as the 34th Durban International Film Festival,  the New York City Picture Start Film Festival and others.

 

In addition the Cape Town AFDA campus will also showcase the work of the third and fourth Year School of Television students on November 18 at 17:00 for 18:00 till 22:30, food and beverage will be available. Working within the genre of the telenovela, third year students have written, produced and edited two stories. These projects are entirely the students’ own work: from conceptualizing the storyline, creating characters, set building and design, to the final product. Guests will have the opportunity to view a live broadcast of these two offerings on CTV Channel 263 on the DSTV.

 

Also in Cape Town the fourth years’ work takes on the form of the Documentary.  And once again these stories were conceived, set-up, scripted, shot and edited entirely by the students.  The film makers have approached issues and topics ranging from the despair of drug addiction and the sometimes successful search for hope and regeneration (Turning Point), to accepting the “call” to be a sangoma in the modern day post-Apartheid South Africa, (Isilawu), as well as attempting to address the sticky issue of informal settlements set against the backdrop of the fundamental right to own and protect one’s property (Isiqalo).

 

“This year’s festival will be just as exciting as in previous years,” says Garth Holmes, AFDA Chairman and co-founder, “Students have really put everything into their projects and I look forward to seeing their work on the big screen in a formal cinema and with a willing audience.”

 

The Film Festival takes place in Johannesburg at the Rosebank Cinema Nouveau on Friday and Saturday 22 and 23 November, in Cape Town at the V & A Cinema Nouveau on Saturday and Sunday 23 and 24 November and at the AFDA Durban Campus at 2A Highdale Road, Glen Anil in Glenashley on Saturday, 23 November. Tickets are R20 per screening in Cape Town, R25 in Johannesburg and R20 once-off festival entry in Durban.

 

For more information contact AFDA Johannesburg on (011) 482-8345, AFDA Durban on (031) 569-2252, AFDA Cape Town on (021) 448-7600 or log onto www.afda.co.za. The student films will be available on line on the website after the festival.

 

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Go Durban! IS ON TRACK TO MOVE THE PEOPLE OF ETHEKWINI

Go Durban! is the name of the integrated rapid public transport network (IRPTN) that aims to provide a flexible, safe, cost effective, seamless transport experience for the people of eThekwini.

 

This was revealed at the brand launch held in the City today which was attended by the eThekwini Mayor Councillor James Nxumalo, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety & Liaison Mr Willies Mchunu, Deputy Mayor Cllr Nomvuzo Shabalala, City Manager S'bu Sithole, Acting Deputy-Director-General: Public Transport Mrs Khibi Mbuse, EXCO members, City officials, business leaders and stakeholders along with Head of eThekwini Transport Authority Mr Thami Manyathi.

 

Go Durban! promises to promote transport that is universally accessible to all of Durban’s citizens. World-class cities know that infrastructure investment is critical to the sustainability of a region, and the standard of living for its citizens. Go Durban! is identified as one of the key pillars integral to the stimulation of economic growth in the region. Initially citizens will see the development of high quality public transport linkages between Bridge City, Durban Central, Pinetown, Umlazi and Umhlanga. The aim is to provide seamless transfers across transport modes, by creating ease of access at stations and precincts, and by using electronic ticketing and providing passenger safety and security. The design of the IRPTN stations and station precincts will create a focal point for communities, as well as for new, and more sustainable economic development.

 

The initial programme includes the design stage for the stations, station precincts and park and ride facilities and includes the planning and design in each station precinct such as improved lighting, signage, landscaping, street furniture and sidewalk and road design. The design also makes provision for facilities for universal accessibility.

 

Go Durban! will see nine transport corridors linked by various modes of transport (bus, rail and taxi) across eThekwini by 2027. The provision of transport is intrinsic to the creation of a vibrant, liveable and sustainable city in line with the City’s vision which is that by 2030, eThekwini Municipality will be Africa’s most caring and liveable city. The real purpose of transport planning is the provision of access to work, social facilities such as education, hospitals, as well as including goods and services. Go Durban! is aimed at providing affordable and accessible public transport to eThekwini citizens and to not only connect different areas around the city but also to provide transport services to areas which have previously not been serviced to fully incorporate a sense of community in the City.

 

Go Durban! aims to deliver:

 

• Upgraded fleet, facilities, stops and stations

 

• Extended hours of operation (16-24hrs)

 

• Peak frequencies (5-10min) – Off peak frequencies (10-30min)

 

• Full Universal Access (special needs and wheelchair access)

 

• Safe and secure operations monitored by a Control Centre

 

• Electronic fare integration when making transfers

 

• Integrated feeder services including walking / cycling and taxi networks

 

• Integration with metered taxi services and long distance intercity services

 

• Car competitive options and alternatives – to enable strict peak period car use management.

 

Phase 1, which is prioritised around four critical corridors including rail, is expected to be completed by 2018. It will comprise three Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes and one rail corridor. The three BRT routes are: C1 Bridge City to Durban CBD, C3 Bridge City to Pinetown, C9 Bridge City to Umhlanga Corridor and the rail corridor: C2: Bridge City and KwaMashu via Berea Road to Umlazi and Isipingo. The Phase 1 network will accommodate approximately 25% of the Municipality’s total trunk public transport demand on road-based IRPTN services with a further 40% being accommodated by the trunk rail network as part of Passenger Rail Association of South Africa (PRASA) implementation plans. This approach ensures recognisable benefit to the maximum number of users in the shortest period of time for the given level of investment required. Of the 190km of road based trunk corridors, 60km are planned for the Phase 1 implementation of the network by 2018.

 

Through Go Durban! the City hopes to ensure that 85% of all residents will have access to safe, affordable and quality scheduled public transport. It hopes to provide opportunities for densification, mixed-use and transit-oriented development to reduce need for travel, and promote the emergence of a world-class city and to inspire a wave of architectural renewal, which will result in urban rejuvenation and revitalization of run-down areas. Through the large scale nature of the project and the timelines it will also create jobs and assist in the alleviation of poverty in the province.

 

Go Durban! is exceptional in its vision, in that it will have a fully integrated system. Although the entire project will take many years to complete, it is an environmentally, economic and societal-driven sustainable system that will be used for years into the future, becoming one the lasting legacies created for the future in this country.

 

The Go Durban! website, Facebook and Twitter internet interfaces go live tomorrow (November 2):www.GoDurban.co.za, www.facebook/GoDurban and @Go_Durban.

 

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The Greatest Love of All - The Whitney Houston Show

Showtime Management is proud to present, direct from the USA, The Greatest Love Of All - The Whitney Houston Show starring Belinda Davids, playing Sibaya Casino & Entertainment Kingdom's iZulu Theatre and other venues this Festive Season from December 5.

A tribute to a woman who has long been held as an icon of pop music and vocal ability, The Greatest Love Of All – The Whitney Houston Show will present and celebrate a catalogue of Houston’s most loved songs from the span of her 29 year career. The 2 ½ hour concert and stage show includes hits such as ‘How Will I Know’, ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’, ‘Where Do Broken Hearts Go’, ‘Didn’t We Almost Have It All’, ‘I’m Every Woman’, ‘Exhale (Shoop Shoop)’, ‘Step by Step’ and of course, ‘I Will Always Love You’.

In the wake of Whitney Houston’s tragic passing in 2012, her timeless music and awe-inspiring voice have received renewed appreciation from her legion of long-time fans and garnered a new generation of admirers who appreciate Whitney’s unique voice, undeniable talent and pervasive charm as a welcome contrast to the artists prevalent in today’s contemporary music.

Davids’ ethereal voice and long music career - as a solo recording artist and as a support act and backing vocalist for such acts as The Temptations, Keri Hilson, Keyshia Cole, Monica and Johnny Gill – make her a natural performer, but it’s her intimate knowledge and love of Houston’s music that give this show a personal, heart-felt feel.

Exposed mainly to R&B and gospel as a child, Davids was innately drawn to Houston’s musical style, and paid homage to her idol through her dress, hairstyle and by including Houston songs in almost every one of her live shows. Davids now understands the music so well that her performances are unbelievable for some audiences. One audience in Hong Kong demanded she sing ‘I Will Always Love You’ acapella to prove she wasn’t lip-syncing; Davids obliged and was greeted with looks of disbelief, closely followed by a standing ovation.

Davids will be directed by Showtime Management CEO John Van Grinsven Snr. and joined on tour by Artistic Director Kenny Wizz, Musical Director Dale Scheepers and Purple Ear Productions’ Director Jon Van Grinsven Jr., the team also responsible for the worldwide hit showMichael Jackson HIStory.

Belinda Davids was born in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and began performing professionally at the age of 14. She has never had vocal training and is blessed with a 4 octave vocal range, and hence the ability to sing any genre. Her musical heart has always been R&B; Belinda's inspirations as a child were Aretha Franklin, Anita Baker, Chaka Khan, Donny Hathaway, Michael Jackson and the one artist whom she still, to this day, honours in every show she performs – Whitney Houston.

As a young girl one of the very first LP’s Davids ever owned was a song called “Hold Me” by Teddy Pendergrass and Whitney Houston. The quality and style Whitney portrayed in this song struck a cord and Davids’ fascination with the icon grew. She sang Whitney’s music at every chance: at family gatherings, talent competitions and to friends whilst playing on the street. Like many young girls at that time her bedroom walls were plastered with posters and magazine cut-outs of the icon. Whitney’s influence was so strong it inspired everything from her dress sense to her hairstyles.

As a young woman Belinda had the burning desire to live out her dreams and follow in her idols footsteps. She took on the club circuit and her performances left many people amazed at how similar she sounded to the icon.

In the mid 90’s Belinda caught the eye of record executives at Tusk Records, which spawned the album “Belinda Davids”. Three of the songs on this album, which Belinda wrote, were released as singles: “This I Swear”, “This Is My Life” and “We Go Together”. The latter was number one for six weeks in South Africa.

Davids promoted her album all over South Africa for a number of years at various hotels, clubs and cabarets. She opened shows for many international acts when they visited South Africa including Michael Jackson’s History Tour, The Manhattans, The Temptations and Peaches and Herbs. Years after her debut album Davids decided to travel abroad to expand her musical career, which took her to Dubai, London and Hong Kong to perform in major hotels and clubs, with renowned success.


Whilst performing “I Will Always Love You” at a hotel in Hong Kong she was requested by the audience to sing acapella as they thought she was lip-syncing to the original Whitney Houston song, after which she received a standing ovation.

After many years on the road she finally settled in Los Angeles where she started to focus on getting her solo career back on track. In L.A she collaborated with R&B singer/producer Sam Salter who worked on a couple of her promotional tracks. She also caught the attention of many R&B artists who asked her to perform and tour with them, such as Keyshia Cole, Monica, Johnny Gill, Kelly Price and Keri Hilson. She appeared on The Jay Leno Show and The George Lopez Show as a back-up vocalist for Monica.

Belinda Davids will once again showcase her exquisite voice as she takes on the lead role in the brand new Showtime Management production,The Greatest Love of All – The Whitney Houston Show - a show dedicated to keeping alive the music and spirit of the late, great and incomparable Whitney Houston.

The tour dates are as follows, Sibaya Casino, Durban on 5 December to 5 January and Wild Coast Sun Resort & Casino on 30 December. Other dates include Boardwalk Casino, Port Elizabeth on 7 January, Grand West Casino on 10 January. Tickets from Computicket:www.computicket.com or 0861 915 8000.

 

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Janet van Eeden's Double Shot At The Big Time

AFDA Durban Campus lecturer in Production Course, Academic Coordinator and Script Writing, Janet van Eeden has been invited to pitch her project at this year’s London Screen Writers Festival from 25 to 27 October and her lead actor Bradley Backhouse will pitch A Shot at the Big Time at the SME Funding Fair which will also be held in Pietermaritzburg on Friday, 25 October at the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business.

Hosted by Regent’s University in the heart of London, the London Screen Writer’s Festival is considered the greatest screen writers festival in the world. The festival is for writers & filmmakers, with insights into the screenwriting and filmmaking process as well as workshops and talks from top industry professionals along with pitching sessions. The Festival which is owned and operated by London Creative Festivals Ltd was launched in 2010 by Chris Jones, the filmmaker and director of The Guerilla Hanbook. Janet van Eeden and seventeen other writers and filmmakers from around the world have been selected to ‘Meet the Experts’ at this year’s festival out of 150 entries. “It is a great opportunity for me to pitch my project and find out different ways to source funding for the feature film, I am completely excited about going to this wonderful event,” said the screenwriter of White Lion, Janet van Eeden.

The panel of experts which David Nicholas Wilkinson has run annually since 1999 makes its debut at the LSF. The panel includes Producer David Nicholas Wilkinson, the founder and current owner of the Guerilla companies, David has participated in almost one hundred film panels chairing over thirty of them at the BAFTA, Screen Yorkshire, Screen South, Bradford, Galway Film Fleadh and many more. He also has devised and chaired MEET THE EXPERTS at the Edinburgh Film Festival with senior financiers, producers, commission editors and sales agents for over a decade.

British screenwriting team Richard Kurti and Bev Doyle also form part of the panel of experts, they first broke into the business by writing and selling a spec script, Newton’s Law, which then led to 14 further movie commissions from US studios such as Warner Bros, Universal, Laika and Intermedia; and UK companies such as Working Title, Pathe and BBC Films. Their shows have earned numerous awards and nominations, including… three BAFTA nominations, two Royal Television Society Awards and two RTS nominations for Going Postal; nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture Made for TV at the US Satellite Awards for Kidnapped; nomination for Best TV Series Drama at the Satellite Awards for Primeval.

Wrapping up the panel is Financier Gavin Poolman, born in Canada, Gavin graduated with an Honours B.A. in French Language and Literature from Trinity College, University of Toronto. Originally a software developer working on government and private sector contracts, after moving to the UK and graduating from the London Film School, he worked as an acquisitions and finance executive within Oscar-winning producer Jeremy Thomas’s Film Trustees/Glinwood Group, where he was involved in the financing and licensing of The Sheltering Sky, Naked Lunch, A Rage In Harlem, Howard’s End and The Crying Game. In 1994, Gavin was appointed Head of Development at sales agency Mayfair Entertainment International (Jefferson in Paris, Vanya On 42nd Street, Richard III).

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