SO WHAT'S NEW, THE POWER OF WOMEN

Its amazing what can happen when you put women together in one room. You get nothing but fireworks. This is the result that comes from the theatre production called “So what’s New”. With the women’s month in August, this show came back at such a perfect time. It’s a perfect mirror of the lives of four women from the township who are bound together in the new South Africa, with all the responsibilities and challenges they are faced with on a daily basis.

This production which premiered in 1991 right after Nelson Mandela was released from prison has some reference of the oppression conditions in South Africa. It’s written by Fatima Dike with Princess Mhlongo as the director. The show is back with an impressive all star line up. Andrea Dondolo plays the role of Dee, a Shebeen queen and a mother to a very vocal and smart Mercedes played by Zimkhitha Kumbaca. We also have Thandi and Patricia who are sisters and both very good friends of Dee. Thandi play by the talented Sibulele Gcilitshana who just came from working with James Ngcobo on the production “Sunjata”. Then Patricia played by Thuli Thabethe who is famous for her role Phumzile on “City Sesla”.

Putting all these women together you get a very funny comedy that is beautifully acted. The character Patricia is a crowd favourite with her funny dialogue and attitude, while Dee connects with all the mothers. A definite must see for a girl’s night out, especially on the upcoming women’s month.

SO WHAT’S NEW will be running at THE Market Theatre till 14^th  of August.

"SIZWE BANZI IS DEAD" ENJOYS A SECOND RUN AT THE MARKERT THEATRE

“Sizwe Banzi Is Dead” is one of the theatre productions that has been running for decades. It’s a story about identity during the times of the black oppression.  The story is set in the Eastern Cape and explores the issue of urbanisation during the time of Pass Laws in the old South Africa.

The production is now enjoying a second run at the Johannesburg Market Theatre this year and its proving to be still a favourite for theatre lovers. This time around Monang “Vice” Motshabi is in the director’s seat, with his rendition of this thrilling story. He has directed and written a lot of productions that include “Echoes”, which won a Naledi award for best community theatre production. The story is now mainly cantered in Style’s Photography studio, giving it a fresh feel that adds a whole new dimension to the story.

The story unfolds with a humorous dialogue by Styles played by (Omphile Molusi) who also plays the part of Bantu. It then crosses over to the story of Sizwe played by Arthur Molepo who has graced many productions and the famous soapy “Generations”. The use of Style’s Photography studio as the centre of the story was a genius idea. As a result this rendition explores the story in a very interesting angle, which gives the true essence of the story without biting around the bush. This show sure makes a great night out that beats staying in doors for the boring storyline of generations.

The show is running till the 24^th of july

DANCE PERFORMER REACHES OUT TO JOZI DANCERS

Mamela Nyamza was this year’s winner of the Standard bank young artist award for the dance category.  She just came back from performing at the Grahams town National festival, but this young lady from Cape Town is already starting a new project. Nyamza has been commissioned by the Goethe institute in Johannesburg to create new work. She has then decided on doing a workshop for all talented dancers to join her so they would create something extra ordinary.

Nyamza is known for her provocative dance pieces that have sparked dialogue on national and international stages. Her work tackles the issues that women are faced with on a daily basis, even exploring the issues of sexuality.  Most of her pieces she creates have been solo pieces, but this time around she wants to work with a group. She then decided on workshops to get together a group of dancers to work with for a month. The piece created from the workshops will be performed at the Arts on Main in September.  

These workshops which will help create jobs for dancers who are struggling will be  taking place from the 16^th of August till the 14^th of September. Nyamza says “This time around I would love to work with older dancers from the ages of 25 and older”. But in order for her to pull this beautiful idea off she needs sponsors for food and transport for the dancers for a month. Nyamza explains that the Goethe institute only paid for the working space and the performance fee. Anything anyone can give would truly help these workshops, and everyone who wants to help can email Nyamaza on mamela15@yahoo.com . Dancers who also want to be part of the workshops can also contact Nyamza via email.

KB RUNS FREE ON HER LATEST ALBUM

KB continues to re invent her sound with every album, and as a result people struggle to put her in a certain box when it comes to genre. Her energy charged and provocative live performances have earned her a top spot as one of the hottest female live acts. With the very powerful title “Run Free: The Evolution” and a striking album cover It’s hard to miss KB’s latest album. It’s quite evident that despite KB”s busy schedule which includes a role in the hit soapy “Rhythm City” music still remains in her blood. The album shows how much this young lady from Mafikeng has grown musically from her days of “Beautiful Vibrations”.

In this album which is released through Gallo Records KB goes back to her old skool sound that turned her into a bornified star. She mixes the sound with some live instruments that she explored on her albums “My Rhythm” and “Ke Mosadi”. These sounds mixed together give the latest album some colour and edge that makes it stand out from all her other albums.

The first single “My Way” featuring Tuks is a song about celebrating our uniqueness. It’s very easy in the ear with a very intoxicating electric guitar mixed with Tuks Motswako flavour; it’s bound to be a radio hit. Most of the Tracks have a “deep House” feel without losing that KB sound to give the Mmamosadi flavour. The song “Kwaliwa” which features a Swati poet gives the album a mix of indigenous sounds.  Other songs that shine are “Seo Seo Ft Seabelo, Let It Go and Run free.

This album is a clear indication that KB is serious about her craft and as an Icon she continues to up her game whether behind the microphone or on our TV screens. Get the album and Run Free.

KOJO BAFFOE FROM THE “LOVE POET” TO EDITOR OF DETINY MAN

 Kojo Baffoe is one of the chameleons in the very small sector, called the Media. Managing to cross over to all the forms within the field and still managing to set the standard high, from writing scripts and development deals with companies like Trans Africa to being the editor of Destiny Man magazine. Following the successful female magazine “Destiny” under the company Ndalo Media, formed by the very powerful Miss Khanyi Dlomo Mkhize.

Kojo was born in Munich, Germany to a Ghananian father and German mother. After his mother passed away he moved to Maseru in Lesotho and remained there for the rest of his formative years. After he completed his metric he moved to Kwazulu Natal where he enrolled at the University of Kwazulu Natal for a Bachelor of commerce degree. After he completed his studies he went back to Maseru where he ventured into the family businesses, which include:  Management Consultant, Retail: Cosmetic and hair products, Publishing Newspaper, Southern Star and a few IT projects.

He then moved to the city of Johannesburg with all the business experience from back home.  That is where he started to explore his writing skills and poetry further, even making a name as a performing poet. Everything was looking great for him in the city of gold as a writer. He began writing and developing concepts for a number of publishers like the Mail & Guardian then he joined the SABC and became a scriptwriter for their many programmes like the Jazz/contemporary music show Afro Cafe.

With his entire work one thing seemed to be becoming clear was Kojo’s love for the popular culture, human experiences and lifestyle, which came through in all the projects he became part of. His career was leaning more and more on the writing and poetry side. He then published two anthologies. The first one published in 2005 titled “Voices in My Head” and followed by “And They Say; Black Man Don’t Write Love Poetry” and that’s when he got the name the “Love Poet”. Soon after he settled down and got married and had a son, which came as no surprise especially with his love of performing love poems.

I fell in love with Kojo when he became a columnist for the City Press. As a lover of the popular culture and lifestyle, his columns really appealed to me and taught me a lot about the world of music and entertainment. He managed to write about topics that many writers seemed to neglect and made them so interesting while highlighting their importance. I followed him in the Destiny man where he also had a column which seemed to focus on the society and human experiences and I became more aware about the state of my society because of his columns. When he was announced the new editor of Destiny Man it came at such a great time as I was now in University and was in need of a magazine designed especially to make me a better man.

                                                                  

Kojo Baffoe has managed to climb to the top in the media industry in such a very short period of time. Whether in his writing skills, business skills or performing his famous love poems .Kojo is one of the few artists who just seem to have it all and yet still remains much grounded by his family.

To contact Kojo:

http://www.kojobaffoe.com/
http://www.destinyman.com/
kojobaffoe@gmail.com

NAPO MASHEANE RE DEFINES BEING A "PERFORMANCE ARTIST"

Napo Masheane is one of the busiest women in the performing arts scene. She is constantly re-inventing herself as a writer, performer, director, play writer, producer, which is one of the reasons she continues to wow audience nationally and internationally with her famous productions. She has mastered the art of being an all rounder. From funding her projects under her Company named “Village Gossip”, writing the scripts, being the director, to even being part of the cast.

This incomparable woman named Napo Masheane also a well known poet was born in Soweto but raised in QwaQwa in the Free State. She has a diploma in marketing management, speech and dramatic arts and has been part of many cultural exchange programmes all around the world. She has travelled as far as Italy, Amsterdam, United Kingdom, New York City and many other countries showcasing her talents as writer and performer and also learning and sharpening her skills and talent.

She is a founding member of the Fella Sistas spoken word collective which includes some of the most talented poets in South Africa (Lebogang Mashile, Ntsiki Mazwai and Maysha Jenkins).  Also she is the founder of Kalaneng Arts Track, a youth theatre organisation and   Co Director of Colour of the Dispora, an International collective of black women from the United States and South Africa. She has countless awards and recognitions as artists which include the Naledi awards and being nominated for the Daimler Chrysler South African Poetry Award in 2005. 

She published her essay and anthology “Caves Speak in Metaphors and embarked on a European tour in 2010 with her new production “Napo and Indigenous Orchestra”. She has also produced and directed many theatre shows including her one woman show that won the hearts of many women and critical acclaim “My Bum Is Genetic Deal with It” along with Fat Black Women Sing”. It’s her recent production Mollo (Woman in Me) which sees her teaming up with some of the most talented women in the entertainment industry.  These women who include Napo herself  Nkoto Malabye,Nqobile Sipamla, Refiloe Madume and the six piece band called Ladies In Jazz all in one stage dancing, reciting poems, singing and acting all in search of their of their critical conscience.

Napo continues to redefine the term performance artist by constantly breaking new grounds through her writing, directing and performances. It’s rare to see an artist who is so involved in every aspect of her productions and still continue to tell some of the most interesting stories in a foreign and exciting way. This woman is going to go down as one of South Africa’s most celebrated and honoured storytellers alongside the likes of Gcina Mhlophe. No one recites poems the way she does, no one performs the way she does, no one writes like she does and no artist can boast being a writer, director, producer, actor and performer and be able to master all of them the way she has done.

AFRICA DAY CONCERT WARMS UP A FREEZING JOBURG

The annul Africa day concert was held once again in Johannesburg at the New Town park this past weekend. It drew more than 10 000 people with its interesting line up which included the world renowned Senegalese singer Baaba Maal as the headliner. It was held on Saturday which was one of the coldest days of Johannesburg but that didn’t stop the thousand people from attending the concert.

Nkulee Dube the new reggae sensation and also the daughter of the late Lucky Dube graced the stage looking staggering in a jump suit. She kicked off her set with her new single “Who Dem” and in no timer the audience was singing along while she danced and interacted with her band.  She ended her set on a high note by singing  “Trouble” a song she said was her father’s favourite but it all seemed like an audience favourite too. After Nkulee warmed up the crowd the SAMA nominated alternative group UJU took to the stage and within no time they had the  audience singing along while Ntuthu the lead singer seemed to mesmerise them with her sweet voice. But it’s their rendition of the classic hit by the Trompies and Lebo Mathosa “Magasman” that won over the audience.

Olufemi singer and saxophone player from Nigeria took us to another with the Lagos afro beat. Everyone was on their feet including an old couple who were the highlight of the dance floor and for a moment the cold weather didn’t seem to matter. After the energetic performance there was an announcement about a 45 minute break to make final arrangements for the live broadcast which came as a bit of a bummer.

After the 45 minutes break we crossed over to the live broadcast which aired on SABC 2 with the very energetic hosts Anele Mdoda and KB. Dancers opened up the show with an interesting choreography and costumes as they danced to the Late Brenda Fassie’s classics. The broadcast show was kick started by the legendary Mahotella Queens who set the stage on fire with the choreography and colourful outfits. They sang three songs including their smash hit “GAZETTE” with the audience singing along fiercely as they took us back to memory lane. After the energetic performance the legendary Baaba Maal took to the stage for a more intimate set up that showcased those killer vocals, while he spoke to the audience in between the songs as if they were sitting right next to him. He was soon joined by Pops Mohammed and Olufemi for a very interesting collaboration that resulted in an eruption of intensive sounds that were very enchanting and very easy in the ear. After the more intimate set with Baaba Maal we went to Mali with a performance from Habib Koite who was so energetic that for a moment the whole New Town was on fire from stage all the way to the audience.

This year they also introduced a new segment for the new up and coming artists to showcase their talent and they chose Toyah and gospel a group called The Soil. Toyah started off well with a reggae inspired song while she showed off her piano playing skills, but she lost the audience in the second song which saw her go for the rock side with two dancers accompanying her. The soil followed her and they mesmerised the audience with their acapella performance and dance moves, with their flawless harmonies echoing through the park. After that outstanding performance Tumi and the volume turned up the volume with some hip hop jams. It was interesting to see how much Tumi has become such an audience favourite and the performance he gave was the best I’ve ever seen when it comes to hip hop. With that outstanding performance from tumi it was now for the man of the moment Professor.  The moment he walked on stage and the crowd just went insane you could clearly see how much this kwaito sensation has taken over South Africa. From the hit “Lento” with Speedy to the closing song “Sik’amarasor” New Town just came to a standstill.

It was very inspiring to see many people coming out in the cold to celebrate this day that is for us Africans especially during this time when we need each other the most. One of the most powerful things a man I talked to said was that we need this day now more than ever especially with all the xenophobic attacks that are happening around the country. I still feel like there is more that can be done to celebrate this day and maybe it could also be made a public holiday to show how important it really is.