FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY travels to Kenya at the end of February 2023

Durban’s much-loved FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY heads to Kenya on 24 February for a two-week exchange project with Nairobi and Siaya based DANCE INTO SPACE. The exchange comes out of a large project headed by Dr. Lliane Loots (Artistic Director of FLATFOOT) and Prof. Yvette Hutchison (Warwick University, UK) that is setting up a network of African choreographers, researches and dancers called the African Disability Dance Network (ADDN). Funded by a two-year grant from UKRI – AHRC, that will be officially launching digitally on Tuesday 20 February.

FLATFOOT’s Jabu Siphika

Alongside a portfolio of award-winning performance work, FLATFOOT’s integrated dance work has seen it nationally spearhead work with dancers with Down Syndrome, and its numerous programmes with dancers with physical disabilities. FLATFOOT travel to Kenya to share and learn from sister dance company DANCE INTO SPACE (DIS) headed by Ondiege Matthew. DIS, whose work has seen them collaborate with artist from Birmingham Rep (UK) and whose work is supported by Amnesty International, offer a mission to share artistic skills with people from all walks of life and to create work that cross all sorts of borders – both physical, cultural and social.

Loots and Matthew met first in Nairobi in 2019 and have kept a strong connection over the lock down years and now finally get to meet in a dance studio. Loots says, “I cannot begin to say how excited I am by this opportunity to work with Ondiege. He is a man whose dance work and vison are blazing trails in Africa. While our friendship is strong, being able to move together and share creative energy is a dream.  I remain so humbled by Ondiege’s agenda to create deeply humanising integrated dance practices in Africa – I am looking forward to learning from him!”

Lliane Loots and Ondiege Matthew

Loots travels to Kenya with three of the senior FLATFOOT dancers, Sifiso Khumalo, Jabu Siphika and Zinhle Nzama, where they will engage in a full daily programme of shared classes and training and begin to work on joint choreography with their Kenyan counterparts.

In a rounding off of this exchange, Matthew and some of his DIS Kenyan dancers will travel to Durban, South Africa,  to the JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience (hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu Natal in 2024 to share their work with South African audience and dancers.

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Durban FilmMart 2023 - Selected Animation Projects Announced

The Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI) is pleased to announce the 8 animation projects that have been selected for this year’s Durban FilmMart. 

“Animation has been noted by Forbes Magazine as one of the fastest growing sectors in the creative industry across Africa over the past few years”, says Magdalene Reddy, DFMI Director. “Against this backdrop the annual Durban FilmMart (DFM) will for the second year include animation projects in development in its Pitch and Finance Forum. Positioned as the premier film market in Africa, the DFM is perfectly placed to provide a platform for animation content creators to meet potential collaborators and financiers, thereby contributing to the continuing growth of animation on the continent.” 

The official DFM Animation project teams from across the continent are currently preparing their pitches for DFM 2023 will take place from 21 to 24 July 2023 as an in-person event in Durban, South Africa. 

Official DFM Animation Projects: 

● Azania Rises: Season 1 (South Africa), producers: Dr. Farayi Chinyanga andFatuma Abdullah and director: Farisai Kavayi 
● Boy Boi (Kenya), producers: Shadrack Munene & J. Njogu Macharia and director J.Njogu Macharia 
● Between heaven and earth (Entre ciel et terre) (Tunisia), producer, Sarra BenHassen and director, Nadia Rais 
● My BIG name (South Africa), producers: Busisiwe Ntintili, Mpumi Sinxoto &Amanda Zungu and director: Lebogang Sekwelenkwe 
● NALEDI (South Africa), producer: Lesego Vorster, co producers: Valentin Maupinand Aristote Douroudakis and director:Lola Aikins 
● Spiky to the Core (زين) (Egypt), producer and director: Nermeen Salem

● SOLA (South Africa), producers AJ Pitre, Thandiwe Mlauli and director: ThandiweMlauli

● The Passport of Mallam Ilia (Nigeria), producer: Ferdinand Adimefe and director: Chekwube Okonkwo 

Each team has been assigned an individual mentor who will give them the tools to pitch and the confidence to navigate the market, which includes one on one meetings with decision-makers from across the world. In addition to this, each team has access to an 8 week masterclass series, presented by DFMI which began in mid January. The masterclass series is specifically structured to upskill and prepare filmmakers for the international marketplace and will be presented by Beth Parker, Terence Maluleke, Aseye Tamakloe and Mounia Aram, just to name a few. The series covers creative elements such as story development, character development and visual representation as well as business elements such as distribution and finance planning. 

At the end of the 8-week masterclass series, selected project teams will then be invited to participate in the Road to Annecy Animation Incubation Programme presented by DFMI’s animation partners, Digital Lab Africa (DLA), Tshimologong Precinct and Cape Town International Animation Film Festival (CTIAF). 

The 8 official animation projects in development will be presented to a panel of international decision-makers consisting of potential co-producers, broadcasters, film funds, and distributors at the 14th Durban FilmMart Pitch and Finance Forum. 

The Durban FilmMart Institute receives principal funding from the Durban Film Office and the eThekwini Municipality. 

The Durban FilmMart animation programme is supported by the project “Cultural and Creative Industries” which is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut. It improves employment and income opportunities for creative professionals in six partner countries; Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Kenya, Senegal, and South Africa and operates mainly in the music, fashion, design and animation sectors. In addition to promoting the development of entrepreneurial, digital, creative and technical skills through training programmes, the project aims to strengthen the framework conditions and the ecosystem of the cultural and creative industries. 

For further information contact info@durbanfilmmart.com

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Climate Communication: Creatives gathered in Cape Town to address the crisis

Climate Story Lab ZA participants, mentors, and guest speakers gathered in Cape Town from 22 to 26 January to develop and amplify 9 creative projects that address the climate crisis.

This 4-day residential lab brought together creative leads from Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, and South Africa. The aim was to strengthen the potential of each project to reach and move a particular target audience. Over the course of the lab project leads got to present their work to a room full of key people engaged deeply in different aspects of climate crisis mitigation and adaptation work.

Vivian Chuene, Content Partnerships Manager at TikTok Africa

Projects included theatre, documentary film, podcast and virtual reality. Full details of these projects can be found on the CSL ZA website : https://climatestorylabza.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/cslza23-project-info-pack.pdf

Mentors at the Lab represented a diverse range of voices from various disciplines, areas of interest and expertise who are changing the way the world sees and engages with the climate crisis. 

Included in the line-up of experts and mentors were:

• South African Human Rights and Environmental Activist Kumaran “Kumi” Naidoo, who served as Executive Director of Greenpeace International; and is a Special Advisor to the Green Economy Coalition and Senior Advisor for the Community Arts Network (CAN).

• South African social justice activist Zackie Achmat, known for his activism in health, education, queer rights, spatial justice, commuter rail and recently energy / electricity.

• Award-winning Kenyan impact producer Emily Wanja  who has worked with policymakers across national and county governments, private stakeholders, funders, civil society, and communities, using film as a tool for advocacy. 

• South African science writer and author Leonie Joubert who focuses on environmental and social justice issues, climate and environmental collapse.

• Lesotho-born Pascalinah Kabi, the author of Pollution, Profits and the People - an incendiary book that exposes the ugly reality of water mismanagement in Lesotho. 

• Zimbabwean Kudzayi Ngwerume, formerly from Greenpeace, and now the Communications & Engagement Manager with the Urban Movement Innovation Fund (UMI Fund), who supported this lab. 

• Professor Susan Levine,Head of the University of Cape Town’s Department of Anthropology, whose research spans visual and medical anthropology, with an interest in the role of the arts in health care settings. 

• Vivian Chuene, Content Partnerships Manager at TikTok Africa, who supports partners and creators in Entertainment in the Southern African region. According to her the hashtag #ClimateChange has had more than 4.3 billion engagements, demonstrating people around the world are looking for climate stories.

• Award-winning playwright, activist story-teller and co-founder of Empatheatre, Neil Coppen, who shared the 5-year journey of their theatre production  Lalela ulwandle, that has supported transformative governance of our oceans from community activations to Cop27 and engagements with United Nations agencies

• Elaine Maane (Zambia), Regional Training Coordinator at STEPS, is responsible for programme development, regional network partner training and mentorship in using film as a tool for change. 

• Nazeer Sonday (South Africa), a regenerative farmer, entrepreneur, social and environmental justice activist and chairman of the Philippi Horticultural Area Food & Farming Campaign.

• Xoli Fuyani, a South African environmental education consultant and Founder of the Black Girls Rising NPO and Lisakhanya Mathiso a youth climate activist based in Cape Town and Communications Intern at 90by2030.

• The well-known mobile solar cinema NPO Sunshine Cinema was represented by their Programmes Director Rene Weston, and Nontokozo Sibanyoni, a graduate of the UCT Sunshine Cinema Impact Facilitator online short course. 

“After spending three intense days in the same space with the creatives, activists and strategists I can tell you that these 9 projects are going to hit the target with audiences. It was a ‘1 + 1 = 3’ experience, where having everyone together in the same space elevated all the stories and distribution strategies,” says Dr Liani Maasdorp, CSL ZA co-director, impact consultant and UCT film lecturer.  “It can be exhausting and demoralising working in this field, constantly facing the devastating impacts of climate change and the ordinary people who are least responsible for generating harmful emissions. Hearing the stories of those who are generating climate adaptation and mitigation strategies from the African continent inspired us and re-invigorated everyone to continue their work with even more passion.”

The residential Climate Story Lab ZA is supported by the UMI Fund and hosted by the UCT Centre for Film and Media Studies in partnership with Doc Society and the Climate Story Unit.

For more information go to: https://climatestorylabza.org/

I heart Market 4 February at Sugar Rush Park , Ballito, North Coast

After a successful move north of Durban in time for last year’s Festive Season the  I heart Market offers a sale market on Saturday 4 February at Sugar Rush Park in Ballito from 08:30 to 14:00. 

The I heart Market is considered an iconic KZN artisanal retail experience that has gained a reputation for its high-quality hand-crafted and designed goods that include delicious foods, jewellery, and accessories, leather goods, ceramics, visual arts, décor, and clothing.

Delicious condiments

"After a really productive festive season, it’s now time for our traditional “January” sale in February – one of two sale markets we host,” says Anna Savage owner and manager of the market. “This is an opportunity for customers to pick up some top quality locally made products, and for our traders to move their end-of-range products in order to make space for fresh new products and designs for our March market.”

Quirky hand crafted decor ideas

The Market is situated at Sugar Rush, next to Collisheen Estate in Ballito. There is a restaurant at the venue, a kids’ play area, a mini-train, a reptile park, Jump Park, the Tree Trails obstacle course, and a Park Run every Saturday morning. 

Gorgeous hand made toys

For more information, or to enquire about possible trading contact info@iheartmkt.com 

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Eye-opening documentary on brutal British torture used during Kenya’s War for Independence for Al Jazeera English

The shocking story of how Britain used torture in its war against the Kenyan anti-colonialist Mau Mau movement in the 1950s is exposed in an eye-opening documentary A Very British Way of Torture to be aired on Al Jazeera English from 8 December.

Directed by Edward McGown and produced by Rogan Films, the film is a co-production with Britain’s Channel 4 and Al Jazeera English, and premiered on Channel 4 earlier this year.

Between 1952 and 1960, Britain fought a brutal war in Kenya against the Mau Mau – a movement fighting for Kenyan independence from colonial rule. It was an exceptionally bloody conflict, with atrocities committed on both sides. 

For decades, however, many of the worst abuses carried out by British colonial forces have been kept hidden.

The filmmakers drew on a vast archival cache of thousands of files, hidden for more than 50 years by MI5 and MI6 relating to the end of the “empire” that came to light during a High Court case in 2013 brought by Mau Mau veterans, pleading compensation for torture.

Gitu Wa Kahengeri Chairman Mau Mau War Veterans Associations who is interviewed in A Very British Way of Torture

Piecing together survivor testimonies and expert analysis from a team of British and Kenyan historians, this film sheds new light on shocking new evidence. Telling a complete story of how Britain was involved in a regime of systematic torture – including accounts of murders, rapes and forced castrations.

“This may well also be the last time we hear from some of the voices of the surviving Mau Mau war veterans,” say producers at Rogan Films.  “Finally, we can show how some of their testimony about the British use of torture, for so long disputed by the authorities, is in fact true.”

“These are stories that simply have to be told,” says Fiona Lawson Baker, Executive Producer, AJE Witness. “They form part of a bigger picture of an evolving world in which the atrocities of the past, are compelled to the surface so that apologies, forgiveness and understanding can support a healing process that is so urgently needed.”

The documentary can be accessed on Al Jazeera English streaming service,Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@aljazeeraenglish/featured or online https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/documentary/

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Focus on Fans in Al Jazeera English Series to complement World Cup Football Viewing

Six short documentaries focussing on the fans behind football teams in Brazil, Morocco, Germany, Indonesia and the UK, are now streaming in a series - The Fans Who Make Football - on Al Jazeera English during the World Cup, as part of a celebration of the beautiful game, and an acknowledgment of the people who support and “live” for their teams.

 The series is produced and directed by UK-based Clover Films, with Mike Healy, Jamie Doran, Tracey Doran-Carter, Yeni Artanti and Leila Lak in various roles. Now enjoying its second airing, the series opens a window to what drives the passion of the supporters and, in many cases, the social justice and humanitarian motives that underpin the game for these fans on their home turf.

The Fans who Make Football explores how the old adage that “football is more than just a game” comes to life. The series digs into what drives the supporters. Whether it be standing up for the working class, labour rights, gender equality, or making a statement against global injustices, the films look at how the game pulls like-minded people together, creating a focus for their passion and opportunities to make a difference.

 Liverpool FC

At Liverpool FC, we learn why the anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” - Liverpool Football Club’s war cry for the underprivileged - rings loud and in unison at every Liverpool match. For fans, it is about more than football. It is a fight for equality, social justice, and a voice for the UK’s often ignored working-class. Despite the money behind the multimillion-dollar game, Liverpool has remained a team that continues to put the people before profit.

FC St Pauli 

FC St Pauli explores why the German club, established in Hamburg in 1910, has garnered so much attention across the globe. Its unwavering fandom has been cultivated over decades and gives the club a unique identity in the world of football. Proudly anti-establishment, St Pauli supporters are united in compassion always standing up for oppressed people and those least privileged. It is seen as a beacon of hope in the midst of Europe’s rising far-right movements

Glasgow’s  Celtic FC

Glasgow’s  Celtic FC looks at the social dimensions behind the team that holds British and European attendance records. While football may lead the passion for Celtic FC, its supporters are driven by much more than just the sport. Founded in 1887 to help poor Irish immigrants in Glasgow, the charitable side of Celtic continues to this day. The fans fund schools and clinics for poor people across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe as well as the Middle East. They have made their voices heard in some of history’s greatest human rights struggles. Nelson Mandela himself applauded Celtic fans for their campaign against apartheid in South Africa, and today the Palestinian cause is among the issues gripping the club’s fanbase.

 PSS Sleman 

In  PSS Sleman we meet the supporters who have redefined the profile of the football fan throughout Indonesia. Women make up the core of the club’s most passionate supporters, giving PSS Sleiman a unique voice in the world of football. The film follows the Slemani Ultras, superfans who are challenging long-held cultural norms.

Raja Casablanca AC

In Morocco, we see how Raja Casablanca AC’s home turf, The Mohammed V football stadium, holds more than just a sporting legacy. Each match has become a platform for protest against the country’s social, economic, and political injustices. The club’s huge popularity garners substantial coverage and in turn offers wide media coverage to these protests across the region. These voices of defiance would not go unpunished in any other context. The film explores the club’s history as an outlet for the city’s working-class, making it such an icon for political defiance.

Boca Junior FC

Finally in  Boca Junior FC, we meet super-fans as they reveal how and why they have become the voice of the common man and woman in Buenos Aires. In the city that is home the more football clubs than any other in the world, the film explores the special relationship between the team, its fans and the rest of Argentina.

The documentaries can be accessed on Al Jazeera English streaming service, Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@aljazeeraenglish/featured or online https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/documentary/

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Doccies on rights and wisdom of First Nations, and the inextricable link to the ever-growing climate crisis, in new documentaries on Al Jazeera English

Whether it be environmental disaster or extractive development, often it’s the indigenous First Nation peoples around the world who are on the frontlines – whose lives, communities and very existence are under threat.  In First Nations Frontline, a new series which recently started airing on Al Jazeera English, indigenous people from Australia, Sweden, Colombia and North America invite audiences into their worlds, revealing the realities and consequences of the rampant capitalism and human greed which contributes to the climate crisis.

The Starry Night Toad directed by Kata Karáth

Providing a glimmer of hope as the world navigates the climate crisis, Colombian Arhuaco leader Ruperto Chaparro Villafaña teams up with scientists to save the critically endangered Starry Night Harlequin Toad in Colombia, in The Starry Night Toad directed by Kata Karáth.  They work to unite indigenous and western scientific knowledge to understand the role of the toads in the unique ecosystem of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, the world's highest coastal mountain and the sacred land of the Arhuaco people.  The life cycle of the frog helps determine when to cultivate and harvest different crops – the reason this species is a flagship for their community-based project. Chaparro Villafaña must also defend their territory against illegal land grabbers, even as he’s working with scientists to find the cure for a deadly fungus that threatens all Harlequin toad species in the Neo-tropics.

The Torres Strait: Swallowed by the Sea 

The Torres Strait: Swallowed by the Sea directed by Theopi Skarlatos, looks at the Torres Strait Islanders’ class action against climate change. Climate change is causing catastrophic damage to the Torres Strait Islands. Fearful of losing their homes, the islanders sue the Australian government – but this is just the beginning. Refusing to be silenced, this is the story of how a father and son are letting the world know of their plight. 

In Black Butterflies: The Cost of Going Green

In Black Butterflies: The Cost of Going Green  directed by Saila Huusko, father and daughter Mikael and Sara Elvira fight against what they believe is Sweden’s exploitation of their land and resources, in the name of Sweden’s green agenda. Their community, the Sami, believe natural resources should only be used when necessary because, without them, humans will cease to exist. This film is their journey as they lobby climate activists and the Swedish government demanding the protection of their way nomadic way of life. 

Native Nation: Voices of Survival 

Moving to North America, the Navajo Nation offer valuable knowledge to mitigate the effects of climate change on their sacred lands in Native Nation: Voices of Survival directed by Ali Sargeant Sam Liebmann. Two Native American writers take us on a road trip to meet a community of fellow indigenous activists who are fighting to protect their land. They use traditional knowledge and ideas, and hope to influence the world’s approach to save the environment. 

“The issue of the environment and the struggles of First Nation people often go hand in hand, and certainly we have seen this in the recent COP27 deliberations in Egypt,” says Farid Barsoum, Executive Producer of the First Nations Frontlines series for AL Jazeera. “ Indigenous people  are often the first to bear the brunt of our environmental failures. We commissioned this series in the hope that several of these stories will collectively illuminate some of these issues, providing valuable insights for a global audience.”

The documentaries can be accessed on Al Jazeera English streaming service, Youtube https://www.youtube.com/@aljazeeraenglish/featured or online https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/documentary/

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Action in Autism hosts its annual market on 10 December 2022

Action in Autism (NPO) will host its annual market on Saturday, 10 December, at their premises, 105 Haig Road, Parkhill, Durban North from 9 am to 2 pm.  This has become a much-anticipated annual event that the students of the Action in Autism’s Shahumna Centre, a skills transfer and business hub, have been hard at work, preparing for.

The Shahumna Centre offers a three-year skills and entrepreneurship programme for autistic adults. The programme focuses on areas such as food preparation and catering, horticultural crop gardening and indigenous plant propagation, and arts and crafts.

“The students of the Centre have developed their skills to plan, prepare and manage the various steps associated with a successful market," said Ashvir Dalu, manager of the Shahumna Centre. “The academic curriculum offers theoretical knowledge on running a business and this market provides them with an opportunity to engage with the community and put into practice the skills they have learnt. The support of the community is pivotal to the success of the market.

The organisation is calling on the local community and the greater Durban area to support the market, and our autistic students. This market is a step towards promoting an inclusive, neurodiverse society that is accepting of autistic people.

Simon Grobler, an autistic student at the centre, commented “Our market is a place where people of neurodiverse backgrounds can experience an exciting day with family and friends, while also shopping for different items and food. It enables us as neurodiverse individuals to interact with others on a professional level and financially support this organisation that ultimately supports neurodiverse people.”

Action in Autism’s other flagship projects includes an Early Learning Intervention Centre which provides early intervention and therapy for infants and children in a non-discriminatory, first come first serve basis. The organization’s Assessment and Therapy Wing provides comprehensive assessments and therapies and caters for all.

The market aims to raise funds essential for the operational costs of the organisation, and to continue the services offered, which include, a quarterly free diagnostic clinic, a bi-annual skills transference workshop for parents, educators and professionals, and a walk-in resource centre that provides support for parents and caregivers of autistic people.

Patrons of the market can indulge in the delicious baked goods prepared by the food production students, select fresh produce and succulent planters grown by the plant propagation team, browse through pre-loved clothing and homeware, purchase Christmas presents, and décor created by the arts and craft students, enjoy a jumping castle and simply have fun in the kiddies zone. The market will also have external vendors present, adding to the variety of items that will be on sale.

Action in Autism welcomes your support through a cash donation or resources, or through volunteering your services. If you would like to attend the market, make a donation of pre-loved clothing, plants, or household goods, book a table to trade, or for more information about the market, please call 031 563 3039, email info@actioninautism.org.za or ashvir@actioninautism.org.za.

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Opportunity for filmmakers to Develop Skills as Film Impact Screening Facilitators

Leading South African media organisation Sunshine Cinema, known for its robust approach to taking meaningful cinema to communities to support activism and impact change, together with UCT’s Centre for Film and Media Studies will once again offer an online professional development course on Film Impact Screening Facilitation from June 2023.

The course is aimed at communicators, creatives, aspiring impact producers, and purpose-driven “Gen Z’s” eager to ignite change through the screening of mostly documentary, but also fiction feature films to targeted and relevant audiences.

An example of an impact event. Well-known South African Storyteller Dr. Gcina Mhlophe gives a key note address at a Sunshine Cinema screening of the documentary “From Durban till Tomorrow” about the history of AIDS Activism, held at the KZN Art Gallery in September 2019. Photo by Rowan Pybus

“This is the second year this course has been offered in response to a growing demand by audiences and filmmakers to provide content that can impact myriad current crises and challenges the world is facing”, explains Sydelle Willow Smith, Sunshine Cinema co-founder, and course lecturer. “With this demand for content comes a call from audiences to be able to unpack, engage and work with this film content to benefit their spheres of influence and interest. The course provides tangible and workable methodologies for people to develop skills as facilitators to work with film screenings that can help guide audiences and impact this change or stimulate meaningful activism.”

 Sunshine Cinema is best placed to offer practical insights for “impact facilitators” as they have taken films to communities in Southern Africa for years, supporting producers, organisations, and creatives who have the content but lack experience in making an impact with audiences.

 “There is no doubt about it: issue-driven documentaries have increased in popularity, and filmmakers know what impact they would like to achieve by making their films, but often don’t know how to build strategies to mobilise these stories to effect change. ,” explains Miki Redelinghuys, well-known impact producer and the course co-writer and lecturer. “This is where an impact facilitator steps in to support the film in reaching the right audience and inspiring them to take action.

 The 2023 course runs from 1 June to 8 December 2023 and will cover six modules, each geared towards giving students the knowledge and confidence needed to work as a film impact screening facilitator. According to course convenor Dr Liani Maasdorp, “thanks to the combination of carefully curated inputs and written and practical assignments, students leave the course knowing how to organise, market and host a screening and facilitate a meaningful conversation with the audience about the issue shown in the film. This important work aims to positively influence people’s perceptions and behaviour around issues including human rights, social justice, and the climate crisis.”

 The six-month, 100% online, professional development course comprises weekly self-paced lessons on the UCT online learning platform, most of which culminate in a virtual class that “allows students to engage with influential movement builders, impact producers, and filmmakers from South Africa, Africa and beyond”.

 Guest lecturers include well-known creatives, activists, and impact producers including globally renowned and award-winning story-teller Gcina Mhlophe (SA), film director and activist Zackie Achmat (SA), impact campaign specialist Rowan Pybus (SA), producer and cultural activist Sir Vince Manzini (SA), UCT senior lecturer, impact producer and activist Dr Liani Maasdorp (SA), writer, producer, impact producer Anita Khanna (SA), filmmaker, writer, and producer Judy Kibinge (Kenya), filmmaker, community leader, and founder of Sierra Leone’s first media-makers union Arthur Pratt, and Indian filmmaker Kushboo Ranka.

 At the end of the course, participants will have a series of processes, methodologies, creative ideas and examples, a practical toolkit from which to work, as well as ongoing support as alumni from the course convenors, and peers.

 The course is open globally to anyone interested in using film to affect change, and several bursaries are available to participants who merit the opportunity.

 The closing date for applications is 31 March 2023.

 For more information or to enroll visit https://sunshinecinema.org/2023-uct-impact-course-application/

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Green Corridors Launches KMBC Green Concrete Pavers along withCampaign to Install in KwaMashu Schools

The Green Corridors’ KwaMashu Materials Beneficiation Centre has launched its Green Concrete Pavers along with a Crowd-Funding Campaign to install the pavers in KwaMashu and Inanda schools.

Sample of the pavers produced by Green Corridors at its KwaMashu Materials Beneficiation Centre.

200 crowd-funded pavers have already been installed at Isithumba Creche (Istihumba in the Valley of 1000 Hills). A further 200 pavers sponsored by Barlow World (Nike) using Nike shoe waste are currently being manufactured for installation at Shayamoya Primary School in KwaMashu, where two 16m paved walkways are to be built between the two main school buildings, (when it rains this area is muddy and wet and not conducive for efficient movement around the school with time constraints between lessons.)

Some of the pavers installed at Isithumba Creche in Isithumba in the Valley of 1000 Hills . Looking on are Green Corridors staff Jabulani Khanyile. Mfanawethu Makoba and Siphiwe Mthembu.

Green Corridors, the Durban NPO that rehabilitates and cares for green spaces in the City, is mainly funded by eThekwini’s Economic Development Unit. Its KwaMashu Materials Beneficiation Centre is essentially and research and development facility that looks at how waste products can be reused, or re-purposed as part of its bigger vision of growing a “circular economy”.

After many hours of Research, development, and testing, the KMBC is producing a green concrete paver made from 86% waste materials. These pavers are now ready to be installed in schools in the area, and Green Corridors has begun a crowd-funding campaign to help get them into the schools.

The waste used in the pavers includes community-purchased waste glass and non-recyclable toy waste, shoe waste, alien invasive plants, street-swept sand, and recycled concrete. The waste comes from non-recyclable plastics from curbside collections, (orange bags) donated sources as well as what is removed by Green Corridors’ from litterbooms, beach clean-ups, and riverine sweeps for alien invasive plants. Pavers are sealed with a hard-wearing UV stable coating to ensure no microplastics are released into the environment.

“A large focus of ours is on developing low tech, highly replicable, small-business models,” explains Jonathan Welch, Technical Expert at KMBC. “The fact that our products are made by previously unemployed and unskilled members of our local community is a testament to the City’s EDU’s vision that the green economy is an ideal way to both clean up the environment as well as create sustainable jobs.”

Brightly coloured plastics are used in the tops of the pavers for schools as a means to draw attention to the paver and stimulate conversations about its being made from 86% waste.

“We hope this in turn raises awareness of the importance to manage our waste responsibly.”

“Green Corridors is busy proving the viability of a model where multiple production facilities will be set up to produce high strength and aesthetically pleasing pavers and creating 4-6 direct and multiple indirect jobs in the process,” says Welch. “With each facility producing between 100 and 200 pavers a day, we expect there to be substantial demand for problematic waste materials currently entering the environment, thereby stimulating the collection of these materials rather than ending up in and damaging the environment.”

Green Corridors plans to build these facilities by both creating a demand for the above unique pavers at schools and facilitating the funding thereof through crowdfunding, corporate CSR projects, and donating one paver to a school for every 10 sold to the public.

“We hope to raise funds for several KwaMashu Schools in our catchment area in need of paving for children to get around the school safely and comfortably whilst being stimulated and learning about some of the challenges and opportunities presented by waste and particularly plastic in our environment,” explains Welch.

The next school in the area earmarked for the pavers is Zamokuhle School in KwaMashu.

To support this project and help towards pavers for schools contact the Green Corridors at KMBC-info@durbangreencorridor.co.za or donate here https://www.backabuddy.co.za/donate/champion/green-concrete-pavers-for-schools

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Fourteen engaging short documentaries from Africa to be presented on Al Jazeera English

Fourteen engaging and insightful short documentaries from nine African countries will be presented in the second season of Africa Direct on Al Jazeera English Documentaries from 6 December 2022.

 Season Two follows the success of the first season in 2021, and presents another 14 episodes of short documentaries, made by Africans about Africans. They provide a vivid and fascinating look into the diversity of ordinary people on the continent. Whether they are unsung heroes, change champions or simply getting on with their lives, they are all agents in their own stories.

This year the countries represented include Mali, Rwanda, Kenya, South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon and  Mozambique. AJE welcomes back some alumni directors as well as new ones to the fold.

First Dance Steps: Don Sen Folo by award-winning previous Africa Direct documentary filmmaker Ousmane Zoromé Samassékou (Mali)

From Mali comes two compelling short documentaries: First Dance Steps: Don Sen Folo by award-winning previous Africa Direct documentary filmmaker Ousmane Zoromé Samassékou, who takes us into the creative world of a Malian contemporary dance company as they take inspiration from ancient ancestral moves for their modern choreography.

Medine, The Heritage by Africa Direct alumni filmmaker, Andrey S. Diarra (Mali)

The second Mali film Medine, The Heritage by another Africa Direct alumni filmmaker, Andrey S. Diarra, follows Bréhima Sissoko, a heritage guide at the Fort of Medine in the Kayes region of Mali. For nearly three decades he has worked to preserve this historical site and is now training his son to take over.

A Legacy by filmmaker Mutiganda Wa Nkunda (Rwanda)

From Rwanda comes A Legacy by filmmaker Mutiganda Wa Nkunda about the revival of the Amasunzu hairstyle, an eye-catching traditional style of extraordinary shapes, crests and partings, worn as a form of identity in pre-colonial times. 

Feeling the Game by Samuel Ishimwe (Rwanda)

Feeling the Game by Samuel Ishimwe follows Leonidas Ndayisaba a sports journalist in Kigali, who is almost blind. We see him in action, from pitch-side interviews to his radio show, unfolding the story of a man who doesn’t let his disability define or stop him in his dedication to sport in his country.

The Last Speaker by Nadine Angel Cloete (South Africa)

South Africa also has two films in the mix: The Last Speaker by Nadine Angel Cloete, champions a disappearing tongue as Claudia Snyman, a language researcher, tries to save the N/UU language from extinction. She works to create a dictionary with her grandmother, Katrina Esau, who is the last living fluent speaker of this ancient San, or Bushman, language, believed to be 25,000 years old.

 Guerrilla Garden directed by Omelga Mthiyane (South Africa)

 Guerrilla Garden directed by Omelga Mthiyane shows how a guerrilla gardening collective not only provides food but also an important sense of belonging for the residents of Khayelitsha, a sprawling apartheid-era township outside Cape Town . Residents plant, harvest, sell or exchange produce. This is a community built on the spirit of agency, self-help and action in the face of huge social and environmental problems. 

Studio Of Archives by Benjamin Kent (Ghana)

From Ghana Studio Of Archives by Benjamin Kent follows Ibrahim Mahama, an internationally acclaimed artist, known for his monumental installations, as he works, collecting artefacts and textiles for his installations, which explore the significance of historical memory through everyday objects.

Giant Little Choppers a film by JJ Nota (Mozambique)

A young bright 12 year old Mozambican Luciano Armindo features in Giant Little Choppers, a delightful film by JJ Nota, that looks at this boy’s fascination for engineering and his remarkable hobby - he collects cardboard and wire scraps and meticulously designs and builds life size models of helicopters and cars outside his home. 

Kenya Ice Lions by Moses Obuye  (Kenya)

Kenya Ice Lions by Moses Obuye follows the action of Benjamin Mburu, captain and assistant coach of the Ice Lions, the only ice hockey team in east and central Africa, which had competed internationally until the pandemic hit. He rallies the skaters and finds innovative ways to keep their skills, and the team’s finance, alive.

Conservation From Above by Rahab Wambui (Kenya)

Also from Kenya, Conservation From Above by Rahab Wambui witnesses Daniel Zuma, a surveillance pilot in Kasigau Corridor conservation area. He also does on-the ground work in conservation, including with local communities in which he grew up, conveying an important conservation message and leaving a legacy to pass on.

Dorcas Sheffy Bello’s A Stone Crusher’s Song (Nigeria)

Nigerian filmmaker, Dorcas Sheffy Bello’s A Stone Crusher’s Song observes grandmother, Mama Hamsatu Izang, as she navigates her two very different realities, that of a life-long stone crusher and now a social media star, in the hope that her new success might bring lasting change.  Traffic director Joy Onoja has found a way to keep cars moving and drivers cool-headed – she dances. 

Joy In The Traffic directed by Achor Yusuf (Nigeria)

Joy In The Traffic directed by Achor Yusuf gets behind the moves, motivation and mindset of this energetic traffic policewoman, to reveal a delightful side of urban life in Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State, Nigeria.

Modern Peanuts of Cameroon by filmmaker Christelle Otse (Cameroon)

Cameroonian peanut salesman, Hassan Mounpé stands out from the crowd in the markets of Yaoundé in Modern Peanuts of Cameroon by filmmaker Christelle Otse. In this delightful film, she explores Hassan’s work, ambition, imagination and style, a man on a mission who sees the humble peanut as the source of a great potential enterprise.  

Making Her Future by Amedee Pacome (Gabon)

From Gabon comes Making Her Future by Amedee Pacome who explores the prolific career of Diouck Saï who is at once a shop owner, restaurateur, DJ and is also setting up a new philanthropic foundation. The film reveals her motivation, drive and compassion as well as her determination to bring light into the world. 

“All these films focus on individual characters who stand out within their communities, each doing something compelling and in some way shaping the world around them,” says Ingrid Falck, head of documentaries at AJE. “They provide a window into everyday lives across the continent, a diversity which is too often overlooked from the outside. These films are engaging, insightful, unusual, extraordinary and sometimes utterly breath-taking. They draw us in and make us think, feel and even connect with people, reaching across the rich textures of the world and its people.”

Al Jazeera English partnered with South African production house  Big World Cinema for the Africa Direct project.

Dates of Episodes 

Episode 1: 6 Dec - First Dance Steps (Mali)  and A  Legacy (Rwanda) 

Episode 2: 13  Dec - The Last Speaker (South Africa) and Studio of Archives (Ghana)

Episode 3: 20 Dec - Giant Little Choppers (Mozambique) and Kenya Ice Lions (Kenya)

Episode 4: 27 Dec - A Stone Crusher’s Song (Nigeria) and Guerrilla Garden (South Africa) and Modern Peanuts of Cameroon (Cameroon)

Episode 5: 3 Jan -  Medine, The Heritage (Mali) and Making Her Future  (Gabon)

Episode 6: 10 Jan – Conservation From Above (Kenya)  and Joy in Traffic (Nigeria)  and Feeling the Games (Rwanda)

TV REPEAT PATTERN

A new episode starts each Tuesday and repeats at these times (GMT):

Tues 2230 GMT

Wed 0930 GMT

Thu 0330 GMT

Fri 1630 GMT

Sat 0530 GMT

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS

Africa Direct on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with our handle AJAfricaDirect

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/AJafricadirect

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ajafricadirect/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/AJafricadirect

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I heart Market moves to Sugar Rush Park in Ballito from 3 December 2022

In time for the Festive Season KZN’s much-loved I heart Market makes a new permanent home up the North Coast at popular family entertainment venue - Sugar Rush Park in Ballito - with the season dates confirmed for 3, 10, 17 December 2022 and 7 January 2023 from 08:30 to 14:00.

Fun activities available at Sugar Rush Park

Situated next to Collisheen Estate, Sugar Rush Park is a hive of family-friendly activities. It serves as an activity hub and the base for Holla Trails - a network of biking, running or walking trails that go through the sugar cane fields. 

Sugar Rush Park, also has a restaurant -Food Fundi, a kids’ play area, mini-train, the Ndlondlo reptile park, The Jump Park, the Tree Trails obstacle course and Park Run every Saturday morning. 

Anna Savage, the market’s owner /manager explains the move, "The I heart Market is a local business hub, and our business is based on the success of small business enterprises. We have an obligation to provide the best sales opportunity for our traders and at the same time create a relaxed, fun day out for everyone.”

“As a result, we have made a  bold decision to move to Ballito, as we needed to find a venue that could provide us with the security of a long-term lease, and a vibrant well-kept venue that has additional family-friendly activities that our customers can enjoy. We have found the perfect venue at Sugar Rush Park. We realize that this move is a big jump in terms of location and that it may be far for some of our regular customers. But we can guarantee a great day out to those who can travel north, and make  a day of it by taking advantage of the other activities available.”

Makers Phumzile Zama and Nolwazi Zama with their Polka dot Coco store

The I heart Market has a reputation for supporting artisanal crafters, artists, and traders, offering fine, handmade goods that include jewellery, accessories, leather goods, ceramics, visual arts, décor, clothing, deli foods bakery goods including breads, pastries, cookies and cakes, and a delicious range of eat in foods. Echoing the market's name, the goods on offer are made with love, dedication to the craft, and personal integrity.

"Sugar Rush Park is excited to welcome the I heart Market to our activity hub. Celebrating and supporting small creative local businesses is vital to the local economy and has a special role to play post covid.  We invite our customers and Ballito locals to support this initiative and enjoy the fine products." Nick Jordan, partner at Sugar Rush.

According to Anna Savage, the market will continue to trade throughout the year on the first Saturday of every month. There is secure parking and entrance is free.

For more information, or to enquire about possible trading contact info@iheartmkt.com 

SA's Empatheatre invited to UN COP27 to present award-winning Climate Change Play

Durban-based award-winning theatre company – Empatheatre has been invited by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to present their hard-hitting play - Lalela Ulwandle (Listen to the Sea) at this year’s COP27 (6-18 November) in Egypt. 

Neil Coppen, Dylan McGarry  and  Mpume Mthombeni, the co founders of Empatheatre. Pic by Jacki Bruniquel

The production has been invited by the UNFCCC (The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) Secretariat to perform the award-winning theatre play Lalela uLwandle (Listen to the Sea in isiZulu) at the Capacity-building Hub of the Blue Zone of COP27 (14 November 2022, 17.40-18.40 Egypt time). 

Mpume Mthombeni in Isidlamlilo – The Fire Eater  - Photo by Val Adamson

The company is currently running its critically-acclaimed work Isidlamlilo – The Fire Eater featuring the award-winning actress Mpume Mthombeni at The Sneddon Theatre, UKZN which ends on Wednesday ( 9 November).

Following this Durban season, they rush off to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt to perform their much-toured, impact theatre work Lalela Ulwandle at the “Oceans and Land” day event at the Capacity Building Hub at COP 27.

Lalela Ulwandle explores themes of intergenerational environmental injustices, tangible and intangible ocean heritage, marine science, and the myriad threats to ocean health. Essentially this piece is an invitation to a participatory public conversation on ocean governance in South Africa (and beyond). The work was initially funded under the One Ocean Hub, the five-country hub of researchers exploring more democratic methods of engagement in ocean governance, and it is under this banner that the work will be seen at COP27.

“Finally we are bringing Empatheatre to the decision-making conference halls!” enthuses director Neil Coppen. “This means that these real stories are finally entering the United Nations, unedited and fully embodied! Through One Ocean Hub we have a spot in the Oceans and Land day event which seeks to respond to the mandate from COP to integrate and strengthen ocean-based action in their capacity-building efforts. In this context, there is a need for knowledge systems that include scientific, traditional, local, and indigenous knowledge to support decision making.”

“Our play, which has been touring South Africa since 2019 holding public storytelling events and tribunals has gathered thousands of coastal peoples' spiritual, cultural, and scientific understandings of the oceans in these critical climate-stressed times,” continues Coppen. “We have performed through droughts and floods, through pandemics and political struggles- through personal losses and through massive shifts in the way we work and practice.”

Lalela Ulwandle (Listen to the Sea) which features Alison Cassels, Mpume Mthombeni and Rory Booth is directed by Neil Coppen, and written by Coppen, with contributions from Helen Walne, Gcina Mhlophe, Mpume Mthombeni, Dylan McGarry, Taryn Pereira, Kira Erwin.  The UFC (Urban Futures Centre) at DUT has been deeply involved in the production from the outset under the leadership of Dr Kira Erwin.

Catch Empatheatre’s Isidlamlilo – The Fire-Eater  featuring Mpume Mthombeni, at The Sneddon, UKZN, Durban for 2 performances only on 8 November at 7pm and 9 November at 11am before they head to Egypt to present Lalela Ulwandle. Bookings are with

https://tickets.computicket.com/event/isidlamlilo/7201674.

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Creativity a high priority in Finland echoed in the collaboration of Finnish choreographer Virva Talonen with Flatfoot Dance Co

Finnish choreographer Virva Talonen has spent the last few weeks working with Durban’s Flatfoot Dance Company in a collaboration entitled Portable Home which will be performed at The Courtyard Theatre at DUT, Durban on November 4 and 5.

Finnish choreographer Virva Talonen

According to Jonna Pukkila, Cultural Attaché from the Embassy of Finland (Pretoria), this is the fourth collaboration between Talonen and other dance companies, and the first with an African company. “High on the educational priority list is developing creativity and it’s interconnectedness with nature and this collaboration supports the country’s desire to extend its creative reach beyond the north,” she says.

“Culture has made Finland what it is today. Creativity is highly valued and each child is treated equally. All teachers in creative subjects have vocational degrees in arts. After basic education, creative studies continue in Finland’s top-class universities. Finnish Modern Dance is rooted and fresh at the same time. Even though contemporary dance is a relatively young art form in Finland, it is developing and growing all the time internationally.”

“Finland has reinvented itself in just one short century – and is still at it,” continues Pukkila. “The mindset that drove to build a new society is still hardwired into Finns – and it continues to drive Finland forward today. The Arctic climate gave us guts – or ‘sisu’ as we call it. A lot of Finnish inspiration comes from Finns unique relationship with nature. The only thing we have a lot of is trees and water. People, not so much. That’s why we believe in equality and take good care of each other – and know the value of doing things together. Virva in her work exercises exactly this. A great way for a Finn to express feeling is by actions and movements rather than words.”

Flatfoot Dance Company in rehearsal for Portable Home.

Portable Home is a long-standing project of Virva’s and an extension of her work done in Finland, Palestine and Japan which delves into concepts around home and its various definitions.

The work can be seen at The Courtyard Theatre on 4 November @ 7pm, and on 5 November at 2.30pm and 7pm.

Bookings are via Clarec1@dut.ac.za and go for R80 (students and scholars @ R50).

Please note that limited ticket available for 4 November @ 7pm.

For more information on Virva Talonen: www.virvatalonen.com

More information on Finnish Dance https://www.danceinfo.fi/en/

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Call for Submissions: Realness/Netflix Episodic Lab and Development Executive Traineeship 2023 Inbox

 Realness Institute in partnership with Netflix, the world’s leading entertainment streaming service, has opened the calls for submissions to its 2023 Episodic Lab and Development Executive Traineeship (DET) programmes which will take place from 30 April to 30 July 2023.

The Lab and Traineeship aim to support screenwriters and mid-career industry professionals from Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya who are seeking opportunities to develop their original story ideas in any genre and are looking to enhance their skills as story consultants respectively.

Bringing together a wealth of creative talent from Africa in these programmes, Realness Institute offers the Episodic Lab participants the opportunity to pitch their incubated stories to Netflix executives at the end of the programme. It also offers DET participants a deeper understanding of the story development process, exposure to a more nuanced approach in the support of writers whilst simultaneously holding writers accountable for their creative work. 

To support the participants to focus on their involvement in the programmes, Realness Institute will provide a monthly stipend of ZAR 33,000 (Thirty-Three Thousand South African Rands) for the duration of the Lab and traineeship to help cover their living expenses.

“As filmmakers we understand how difficult it is to find time and space to focus on our creative processes: to unpack stories, mull over and bounce ideas off others, benchmark ourselves against our peers as we hustle to make films, and pitch and search for funding and finance,” says Mehret Mandefro, Director of Development and Partnerships, Realness Institute. “In understanding this landscape, we are delighted that Netflix has once again partnered with us, to bring these two symbiotic programmes for African filmmakers in our joint quest to grow African stories and content on the continent.”

While there is no guarantee that any proposal will be developed further by Netflix, it is a unique opportunity to interface at key milestones with Netflix executives and be afforded the opportunity to pitch. The 2022 Episodic Lab alumnus, Voline Ogutu from Kenya pitched an idea for a romance crime thriller Dilemma that has received a greenlight from Netflix for further development.

Reacting to her story idea being selected for further development, Voline Ogutu, who has now started to turn her attention to next steps which include Writers’ Room planning, says, “I am honored and grateful to be part of this rare opportunity. To those who dream of telling African stories on the global stage, it is truly within your reach. Thank you to the Netflix and Realness team who were part of this process.”

Commenting on Netflix’s partnership with Realness Institute, Allison Triegaardt, Manager for GROW Creative Africa at Netflix says, “We are so thrilled to be continuing our partnership with Realness Institute for the 2023 edition.  It is such a great opportunity to find, grow and nurture African storytellers and their uniquely African stories by giving them the time and resources they need to fully realize their vision and someday share their stories with a global audience.”

The Lab and Traineeship take place online and then for a week in-person in July 2023 at the Coot Club in Stanford, Western Cape.

Interested participants are encouraged to visit https://www.realness.institute/episodic-lab for Episodic Lab programme application and https://www.realness.institute/det for Development Executive Traineeship programme application and wait to be shortlisted.

Application submissions open October 26th and close on 22nd December 2022.

To know more about the Realness Institute and its programmes, visit www.realness.institute.

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Empatheatre presents Isidlamlilo (The Fire Eater) with Mpume Mthombeni

Empatheatre in association with the NAC and The National Arts Festival presents…

Isidlamlilo (The Fire Eater)

Limited Run in Durban @ The Sneddon Theatre 

(4 to 9 November 2022)

Durbanites are in for a rare theatrical treat when Isidlamlilo- the Fire Eater begins a week-long run at the Sneddon Theatre on the UKZN campus from 4 to 9 November 2022.

Isidlamlilo is an electrifying new one-woman tour-de-force brought to life by acclaimed actress Mpume Mthombeni (who plays Agatha on E-tv’s Durban Gen) and award-winning theatre-maker Neil Coppen with set design by Greg King, lighting by Tina Le Roux and sound-design by Tristan Horton. 

This acclaimed new South African play premiered on the main programme at the 2022 National Arts Festival to rave reviews and standing ovations with critic Steve Kretzeman writing: “Woven together from true stories and testimonials gathered by the Empatheatre company, with a near flawless presentation and delivery, Isidlamlilo expands our horizons so often cramped by fears real and imagined, and imparts some of the courage the dispossessed have to daily gather to continue to live. This is fantastic theatre.”

Mpume Mthombeni in Isidlamlilo

Over the course of 80 minutes, Mthombeni, through frank, comic and captivating storytelling, relays the death-defying life story of Zenzile Maseko. Maseko, a sixty-something Zulu grandmother, rents a cramped room in a Durban women’s hostel, and is haunted by her past working as an IFP assassin (fire-eater) in the build-up to the 1994 elections. When the home affairs mistakenly declare her dead and are unable to reverse the error on their system, Zenzile finds herself cast into the middle of a Kafkaesque nightmare, driven to desperate measures to prove she is still alive and made, in the process, to reawaken parts of her identity and past that she has spent a majority of her adult life trying to suppress.

Maskeo’s story seamlessly propels us back and forth through time, traversing the shifting landscapes of KwaZulu-Natal and while charting critical events in the province's post-1994 trajectory through to its present-day floods and insurrections. While the story offers a critical look at the eddying cycles of violence and revenge that play out across generations, it is most of all a story about redemption, regeneration and reinvention.

The script is written by Standard Bank Young Artist Award winner Neil Coppen in collaboration with Mthombeni, and is based on a range of testimonials shared with them during their Empatheatre research processes alongside the Urban Futures Centre (UFC). Together, the creative team has woven in elements of Zulu folklore, biblical mythology, magical-realist framings to make for an unforgettable theatrical experience that speaks to both the country’s haunted past and present-day complexities.

Together Mthombeni and Coppen alongside Dylan McGarry, are the co-founders of Empatheatre which sees the team forging creative responses to complex social concerns. The company was recently awarded the prestigious Bertha Artivism Award for its theatre and social-justice work. Mthombeni and Coppen have worked in close collaboration for the past 15 years creating and touring works both locally and internationally including the multi-award-winning Tin Bucket Drum which went on to tour the country and world for several years.

Isidlamlilo has been made possible by funding from the NAC PESP fund, The National Arts Festival with additional support and thanks to the Drama department and the UFC (Urban Futures Centre) at Durban University of Technology.

Isidlamlio takes place on Friday 4, Saturday 5 and Tuesday 8 November  at 19:00, Sunday 6 November at 14:30, Wednesday 9 November 11:00 (For schools/Community Theatre groups and open to public). The performance is 80 minutes long, and there is an age restriction of 13+

Tickets are R130.  10% Group discounts for block bookings of ten or more. Student/scholar and pensioner discount price of R110 applicable at outlets on presentation of a valid card. Bookings through Computicket. https://tickets.computicket.com/event/isidlamlilo/7201674 or call 0861 915 800.

For schools and community theatre bookings contact Margie at margie@thinktheatre.co.za or on 0832519412

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Finnish choreographer Virva Talonen works with Durban’s FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY

Portable Home, a global dance project by Finnish choreographer Virva Talonen comes to Durban, South Africa! The project has already been presented in various artistic versions in three countries. For its 4th instalment and first in Africa, Talonen has collaborated with Durban’s Flatfoot Dance Company. Portable Home will be showcased atThe Courtyard Theatre for three performances only on November 4 and 5.

Virva Talonen

In a bold move to support cultural collaboration and partnership between Finland and South Africa, the Finnish Embassy in Pretoria, with support from Dance Info Finland, offered an open call to South African dancers and dance companies to apply to work with - and host - Finnish choreographer Virva Talonen. The call process was efficiently facilitated by South African Dance Arts Alliance (SADA). After a slew of applications and interviews, Durban’s FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY was finally selected and, according to Flatfoot Dance Company’s Artistic Director Lliane Loots, “it has been a love project from day one!”

In her artistic dance work, Virva often focuses on the contradiction between the fragility and strength of the human self, and her free flowing and grounded dance technique is both deeply meditative and deeply mesmerising in its fluid power. Loots says that “it has been such an enormous pleasure and learning curve hosting and working with Virva these past few weeks. Her quiet dedication and very focused clear methodology of working has won over the six resident FLATFOOT dancers – I am really looking forward to seeing the final outcome of this extraordinary dance exchange!”

Virva is working on her long-standing project Portable Home with FLATFOOT in continuation of work done in Finland, Palestine and Japan. Portable Home is a contemporary dance project which delves into concepts around home and its various definitions. Home can be a practical or a concrete place, but it can also refer to a state of mind or a bodily sensation. Most often the definition of home is in constant flux. The Portable Home project, which embraces all these open ideas of home, is co-created by Virva Talonen and Finnish lighting designer Nanni Vapaavuori. During the years 2016 - 2018, the Portable Home project visited in Japan, Palestine and Finland. In every country Virva and Nanni presented Portable Home, they have worked together with local artists on the theme of home to create a localised dance performance. Portable Home is now visiting Durban and South Africa where Virva is collaborating with the dancers of FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY; Sifiso Khumalo, Jabu Siphika, Zinhle Nzama, Sbonga Ndlovu. Siseko Duba and Ndumiso ‘Digga’ Dube.

Flatfoot Dance Company

Working off improvisation and dance interactions that eventually get structured into some incredible and soulful dance work, Virva’s South African leg of her Portable Homequartet will be on show at The Courtyard Theatre on 4 November @ 7pm, and on 5 November at 2.30pm and 7pm. 

Bookings are via Clarec1@dut.ac.za and go for R80 (students and scholars @ R50). 

Please note that limited ticket available for 4 November @ 7pm. 

For more information on Virva Talonen: www.virvatalonen.com

More information on Finnish Dance https://www.danceinfo.fi/en/

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4 days left for European Film Fest - ends 23 October

Four days left to catch award-winning films at European Film Festival SA (Online and in Cinemas)

There are only 4 days left to catch 15 award-winning films at the European Film Festival. The fest is currently running online, and has screenings at The Labia and The Zone, in Rosebank, Johannesburg until 23 October.

The fest offers 16 films, with one, the Oscar-nominated The Worst Person in the World, having sold out in its 3-day limited period of screening, and some pending sell-out in the next day or two.

Each film has one screening in cinemas, with online screenings available across South Africa, but with a cap on the number of views per film.  Some films will soon have reached this cap, so film-lovers are encouraged to go online and watch soon.

There are insightful online Q & A’s conducted by local creatives available on the fest website.

· Laura Samani (Small Body) interviewed by Khwezi Becker

· Elie Grappe (Olga) interviewed by Yolanda Mogatusi

· Maryna er Gorbach (Klondike) interviewed by Mitchell Harper

· Erik Poppe (The Emigrants) interviewed by Yolanda Ncokotwana

· Stefan Arsenijević (As Far As I Can Walk) interviewed by Welile Masuku

· Aga Woszczyńska (Silent Land) interviewed by Khwezi Becker

· Sebastian Meise (Great Freedom) interviewed by Tiny Mungwe

· Shariff Korver (Do Not Hesitate) interviewed by Menzi Mhlongo

Q&As are located on the website here: https://www.eurofilmfest.co.za/2022-home/q-a-sessions/
 

Tickets for The Labia are R70 and for The Zone R80. Online screenings are free.

Visit www.eurofilmfest.co.za for more information or to book online for the European Film Festival.

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Migration and Displacement on Film – a Live Zoom discussion at the European Film Festival

A live zoom discussion titled Migration and Displacement on Film featuring directors of the films Silent Land, The Emigrants and As Far as I Can Walk and a local sociology academic and migration specialist, will take place during the European Film Festival on Monday 17 October at 6pm.

A report just released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees indicates that that the total of displaced persons in the world has now topped 100,000,000! The Africa Centre for Strategic Studies notes that the number of forcibly displaced people (internally displaced, refugees, asylum seekers) in Africa continued its uninterrupted escalation over the past decade—expanding by 12 percent in the past year to over 36 million people.

Stefan Arsenijevíc director of As Far As I Can Walk)

Forced displacement is an outcome of conflict, violence, and persecution usually of a religious, national, social, racial, or political nature, but also including reasons such as gender or sexual orientation. There are other causes too; droughts, floods, earthquakes, weather disasters, and the impacts of climate change. Then there are a wide range of migrants who are not necessarily refugees, from migrant children, migrant workers, economic migrants to migrants simply seeking another way of life. Even the word migrant is a contested term considered by some as demeaning and dehumanising. Whatever the terminology, it is a subject that precipitates cultural divisions and sometimes violent responses. But migration is not new, it has been happening since time immemorial as people assimilate into new environments often bringing positive social, economic and cultural contributions to their newfound societies. It is a global reality that demands cooperative understanding and practical solutions.

Erik Poppe - Director - The Emigrants

Film of course is a powerful and socially influential medium that plays an active role in shaping our thoughts, feelings and opinions about migrants and migration. In the Live Zoom discussion Migration and Displacement on Film during the European Film Festival in South Africa, three filmmakers whose films touch on migration in different ways will explore the messaging film conveys about this highly topical subject. The filmmakers, all directors of films showing in this year’s festival, are Aga Woszczyńska (Polish director of Silent Land), Erik Poppe (Norwegian director of The Emigrants), and Stefan Arsenijevíc (Serbian director of As Far As I Can Walk). Bringing local contexts and perspectives to the discussion is migration specialist Prof Pragna Rugunanan, Head of the Department of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg. Moderated by Liza Aziz of Fineline Productions, this Live Zoom event takes place at 6pm on Monday 17 October.

Aga Woszczyńska director of Silent Land)

Liza Aziz - Moderator

Visit www.eurofilmfest.co.za for more information about the festival.

Details of session (and to access the zoom link on the 16 Oct at 6pm) on this link: https://www.eurofilmfest.co.za/2022-home/live-sessions/

Prof Pragna Rugunanan, Head of the Department of Sociology at the University of Johannesburg.

The European Film Festival 2022 is a partnership project of the Delegation of the European Union to South Africa and 14 European embassies and national cultural institutes in South Africa: the embassies of Austria, Belgium, Georgia, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the British Council, Instituto Camoes (Portugal), French Institute of South Africa, Goethe-Institut, Italian Cultural Institute and Wallonie-Bruxelles International. The festival is organised in cooperation with Cineuropa and coordinated by Creative WorkZone.

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