FOLKLORE COMMUNITY

Thandeka Mfinyongo (SA), Vangile Gantsho (SA) and Ancient Voices (SA) alongside Makadem (Kenya), Josh Meck (Zimbabwe) and Maleh (Les) will set the stage and your souls ablaze at the second annual Folklore Festival 2023, taking place at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg on Saturday,  16 September 2023. 

Tickets are available on Quicket https://qkt.io/FolkloreFestival 

Thandeka Mfinyongo is a musician born and raised in Nyanga East, Cape Town (South Africa) with extensive experience as a vocalist - as well as a uhadi and umrhubhe player. Mfinyongo who has completed a Masters degree in Music Performance at SOAS University of London, majoring in kora (an instrument from West Africa) draws inspiration from an older generation of musicians, such as Madosini, with whom she spends time with to learn and deepen her knowledge.

Vangile Gantsho is a poet, healer and co-founder of Impepho Press which is a Pan Africanist intersectional-feminist publishing house committed to the authentic telling of African and international stories. Listed on the Mail & Guardian's 200 Young South Africans in 2018, Gantsho who has participated in festivals around the globe such as Long Night of the Poets (2021) and the Gothenburg Book Fair - Bodies Under Siege (2020) is passionate about using her voice as a tool to build confidence and open doors. 

Not just a music festival! 

Folklore Festival is a multidisciplinary culture and heritage event for the whole family to enjoy music, poetry, literature, dance, theatre, workshops and intentionally curated play & story time experiences for the kids. Like last year, we are offering a dedicated soft play area by Knickerbocker Doodlebug who specialize in building kid fun zones that are safe to keep your little ones engaged and entertained.

And it doesn't end there! We will keep children enchanted and captivated through the Folklore Festival Book Fair in partnership with Ethnikids - an online book store which specializes in representative children's books in all South African languages which showcase the works of esteemed local authors who have made a significant impact on young readers. What better way to cultivate a culture of reading and writing in our kids than to expose them to books made just for them by authors they can resonate with while making it fun!

"Folklore is the expressive body of culture shared and preserved by a particular group of people, it is inclusive of the traditional beliefs, customs, and stories of a community, passed through the generations by word of mouth, in the form of tales, sayings, dances, proverbs, jokes and music captured through various art forms.” Says Bubu. 

Folklore Festival Crafts Market aims to showcase and create the opportunity for crafters of unique and proudly African products to meet customers while Folklore Festival Food Market will have food to keeo the whole family well-fed and hydrated on the big day.

Founded by SAMA Award-winning indelible storyteller Pilani Bubu, Folklore Festival is a vibrant celebration of African culture, customs and community on the South Africa

Heritage Month in the form of a diverse Pan-African creative offering from North, South, East and West Africa.

Folklore Festival 2023 is proud to announce its sponsors:

The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture whose vision and mission is: "To transform the delivery of Sports, Arts and Culture by ensuring equitable access, development and excellence at all levels of participation and to harness the socio-economic contributions that can create a better life for all South Africans..".

The National Arts Council which was sent up in April, 1997 through an act of parliament (Act no.56 of 1997) with the vision to promote, through the arts, the free expression of the cultures of South Africa.

We are honoured to continue our relationship with the National School of the Arts as our venue partner. Brenda Sakellarides, Artistic Director of the school had the following to say after working closely with us in the inaugural event last year:

"The professionals that come to the fore in the planning and execution of this unique and remarkable festival present the perfect role models for our young artists. Quantifying the value of their professional exchange with the NSA community is impossible. The NSA benefits significantly from the association with their excellence and high-frequency artistry. The NSA is enormously proud that we are part of the heartbeat of the FOLKLORE COMMUNITY. As a South African art school, it is vital to celebrate and acknowledge authentic African cultural legacy and story-telling, which is precisely what the festival sets out to do. There is already a wellspring of interest and enthusiasm for the second iteration of this wholesome, family-centred festival. We are unreserved in advocating and supporting them and are grateful to walk this road with them in growing this festival of cultural substance and profound vision."

The Festival is supported by DSAC and NAC, and is produced by Bupila Creative Lifestyle CO.

Contacts:

Media:  Palesa Morabe palesa@palesamorabe com / 071 492 5313

Sponsorship:  Pilani Bubu [email protected] / 082768 3971

Vendor/General:  Palesa Morabe [email protected] / 071 492 5313