Afro-futuristic fusion of folklore

Sneziwe Dube

In celebration of Africa Day, UJ Arts and Culture and Madevu Entertainment present Hlakanyana at the UJ Arts Centre on 25 May.

The production is set to bring folklore, award-winning music, and magic to the Keorapetse William Kgositsile Theatre at the UJ Arts Centre this Africa Day.

Directed by theatre icon Janice Honeyman and featuring some of South Africa’s most promising emerging artists, Hlakanyana features a cunning, unethical creature, depicted in animal or human form, and who is the long-awaited son of a village chief, but instead of being a uniting force he leaves devastation in his wake.

linguist, artist and comedian questioning what happens to perspective and understanding of the world when north is placed south. He also does an in-depth discussion around African semiotics and linguistics, which interrogate and unpack understanding in constructs such as gender and identity.

In partnership with Lefika la Phodiso, the arts centre will open an exhibition bringing together works created by participants of the WAC after-school programme and Lefika on 14 May. The young artists will explore Flippin as an act of defiance, resistance and connection. The launch will include a discussion that unpacks the role of art therapy and play in the lives of children. Puleng Plessie, will co-curate the exhibition with the young artists and facilitators.

Together with the Centre for Less Good Idea, independent artist and facilitator of the Windybrow drama programme Sibahle Mangena will host a workshop at Centurion College for Grade 12 history learners and teachers; in preparation for the outreach programme of the acclaimed production The Head and the load by William Kentridge; which will roll out in 2023.

A Comedic Flip on 20 and 21 May,

Nominations for top artist open

Arts Correspondent

Nominations for the South African Music Awards (Sama28), South African Music Performance Rights Association (Sampra) artist of the year category are open.

This category, first introduced in 2021, acknowledges musicians who best entertained during the past year as decided by the public.

Any South African musician who has released a body of work between 1 January 2021 and 31 December 2021 is eligible for nomination.

The Sama28 Sampra category joins Record of the Year and Music Video of the Year categories as the third award voted for by the public exclusively. The other cat- egories are adjudicated by a panel of judges.

Sampra CEO Pfanani Lishivha said: “We urge every music lover to nominate and vote for their favourite artists because it is what will count in the Sampra Artist of the Year category.” in partnership with Ub’dope will host three comedy shows that look at the act of flipping from a comedic lens presented at the Ramolao Makhene Theatre. The weekend will kick off with a game night on Friday, the Saturday edition will present a matinee for high school audiences which will also include a workshop that focuses on social issues from the comedic perspective. The event will wrap up with a comedy show that presents an African line up of young and other comedians.

Recording Industry of South Africa (Risa) CEO Nhlanhla Sibisi said it has been a fantastic year for South African music, with the emergence of new class acts.

“We anticipate this to be a hotly contested category and we look forward to crowning the recipient at Sama28,” he said.

To nominate your favourite artist send the person’s name by SMS to the number 33121 by 19 May. The SMSs are charged at R1.50 each.

Music Flip on 28 May will be for the family to enjoy an exciting lineup of music, local food and craft stalls at the arts centre.

The day will host upcoming artists from across the continent, and a closing performance from internationally renowned band The Brother Moves On. An original composition in collaboration with the Windybrow choirs and The Brother Moves On will have its debut at the event. The line-up is The Friendly Drummers, The Brother Moves On, Emmanuel Paul and Femi Koya. For more information on the events visit www.markettheatre.co.za.

A retelling of the Zulu folktale, Hlakanyana is an Afro-futuristic fusion of traditional folklore in a contemporary world. The trickster Hlakanyana is an anti-hero, beset by isolation and forging a path in a rapidly changing world.

Many issues South Africa is facing, such a gender-based violence, corruption, lack of mentorship and moral guidance and uncertainty are explored through folklore.

In its ninth draft, perfected by Momo Matsunyane, Hlakanyana draws audiences with a stellar cast including Sandisile Dlangalala, Dolly Louw, Momo Matsunyane, Sibusiso Mxosana, Manakomba Ndimande, Siphiwe Nkabinde, Mphumzi Nontshinga and Kensiwe Mathebula Tshabalala.

Head of UJ Arts and Culture Pieter Jacobs says the FADA Interdisciplinary Theatre programme facilitated collaboration of second-year students on the design of various elements of a production by UJ Arts and Culture.

“With Hlakanyana, this interdisciplinary intent of the programme was embraced by extending these creative processes to professionals including writers, actors, mu- sicians, composers, dancers and choreographers to create the muchanticipated musical we present in partnership with Madevu Entertainment,” he said.

The Hlakanyana journey started in 2020 when it was commissioned by UJ Arts and Culture as part of Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture’s flagship Interdisciplinary Theatre programme. However, the programme stopped in April with the onset of Covid-19. Despite the restrictions, UJ Arts and Culture revised their strategy and Madevu Entertainment’s Zolani Shangase and Michael Wallace and Honeyman continued creation of the musical using online platforms.

In September 2020, five songs were recorded with composer Sne Dladla, lyricist Dionne Song, the Viwe Mkizwana Jazz Band and released as The Sounds of Hlakanyana on Heritage Day in 2021. The Sounds of Hlakanyana has won Best Public Performance at 7th Humanities and Social Sciences Awards 2022 from the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences. The production features new composition by Viwe Mkizwana, under comusical director Dale Scheepers. Hlakanyana will run on the Kingsway Campus in Auckland Park from 25 May to 8 June. For more info visit arts.uj.ac.za.