JOMBA!

The Market Theatre in partnership with the Centre for Creative Arts presents the 3^rd annual JOMBA! @ The Market, bringing together an evocative programme of contemporary dance works that speak to personal, political, and ancestral journeys across Africa and beyond.

Featuring four bold choreographic voices, this year’s festival created by Lliane Loots includes KANYAR epilogue, a haunting solo by Didier Boutiana (Reunion), which continues the introspective search for self and spirit in a shifting world. SboNdabaDance (Cape Town), under the direction of Legacy Artist Sbonakaliso Ndaba, presents In SEARCH OF OUR HUMANITY – a stirring work that interrogates South Africa’s historical and spiritual evolution through dance.

In a powerful double bill, Standard Bank Young Artist for 2025, Asanda Ruda, explores Afro-contemporary forms in KEMET – BLACK LANDS, a solo rooted in ancestral memory and self-emancipation, and ALKAMAL WALKAMAL ALMUTLAQ, a trio meditating on healing, spirit, and love. Rounding off the programme is Flatfoot Dance Company (Durban) with BODIES OF WATER, a lyrical reflection on climate justice and survival, drawing on the metaphor of water to explore personal and political embodiment.

Together, these works offer audiences an opportunity to experience movement, storytelling, and ritual at the intersection of identity, ecology, and resilience.

JOMBA! and the Market Theatre will also facilitate a series of free workshops with guest artists:

Tuesday 9 September: 4 – 5.30pm with Didier Boutiana (Reunion)

Enjoy a workshop that draws on such disparate influences as hip-hop, yoga and contemporary dance as you find your own groove and self-expression in this workshop.

Thursday 11 September: 4 – 5.30pm with Sbonakaliso Ndaba (Cape Town, South Africa)

This workshop offers participants a full body class experience in the technical dance training methods of Sbo Ndaba. It is a high impact class that pushes dancers to think with their bodies!

Saturday 13 September: 10am – 11.30am with Asanda Ruda

This class is an open, free-flow contemporary dance session infused with elements of African cultural dance and hip hop. This unique blend creates a space for participants to explore grounded, expressive movement rooted in identity, rhythm, and improvisation. Dancers of all levels are encouraged to connect with their bodies and the collective energy of the space in a vibrant and liberating dance experience.

Saturday 13 September: 4 – 5.30pm with Sifiso Khumalo and FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY

Enjoy a deeply grounding contemporary dance class in a growing exploration of what FLATFOOT calls its “African Release’. Sifiso Khumalo offers an embodied class that will challenge and delight. Look out for a special sharing of some of the repertoire of BODIES OF WATER, working with live musicians.

These workshops are offered free of charge to participants, but booking is essential as places are limited. The workshops are only open to dancers 16yrs and older.

E-mail 2024jomba@gmail.com to book a place – at least 1 days in advance of the workshop. No booking, no participation!

JOMBA! KANYAR Epilogue

JOMBA! Asanda Ruda

JOMBA! Bodies of Water

JOMBA! In Search of Our Humanity

Bold and Provocative Work Spotlights Queer Love

Unheard and often suppressed Queer voices are set for their moment of truth, as Vuyelwa Maluleke presents her bold, visceral poem-in-chorus – ‘The Blue Album’ – at The Market Theatre Kippies Fringe. Written and performed by Vuyelwa Maluleke, the show will run at Kippies for a total of five performances, from 21 – 24 August 2025.

‘The Blue Album’ fuses poetry, monologue, movement and choral voice to stage an intimate portrait of Queer life and love in the township of Makaleng. It traces the homecoming of Khumo, a young Lesbian woman, as she confronts the afterlife of a traumatic incident and the piercing silence of her community.

Maluleke navigates the complex terrain of public erasures and private reckonings, offering a story that is as lyrically tender as it is politically defiant, disrupting societal norms of love and who deserves it. The work further reimagines the meaning of love, reclaiming it from the often commercialised romance and relocating it in community.

As this new piece dares to centre Black Queer love and survival in spaces where it is often unwelcome, it arrives at the key question: What is left behind when home becomes the mouth of a man? With profound urgency and agency, the piece navigates the borders of love and danger, memory and survival. Weaving intimate monologues with the public silences of township life, Maluleke exposes with aching precision the slow violence’s Black Queer Women endure.

“This piece is an attempt to make visible the revolutionary remedies of Black Queer love. I wanted to write something that would not only testify to Khumo’s survival, but sing of its sweetness and cast back the light of all of us. This is a ritual. A return. A resistance,” explains Maluleke.

Maluleke is an actor, lecturer and writer with an MA in Creative Writing (with distinction) from Rhodes University, and a BA in Dramatic Arts from the University of Witwatersrand. A runner-up for the 5^th Gerald Kraak Prize, Maluleke was also shortlisted for the Kelsey Street Press QTBIPOC Prize for the manuscript ‘Falling Toward the Centre’ (2021) as well as The Sillerman First Book Prize for ‘The Blue Album’ manuscript (2021).

Again, she was a semi-finalist in the Boston Annual Poetry Contest (2020), and has worked with directors such as Sylvaine Strike, James Ngcobo and Jo Bonney. Her most notable performances are from the television production of ‘Shreds and Dreams 2’ and national touring theatre productions of ‘Tartuffe’ and ‘Emotional Creature: it’s a girl thing’.

ENDS.

Kippies Fringe is an initiative of The Market Theatre, curated by Art Cave.

The Market Theatre is a Division of The Market Theatre Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.

For media enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at The Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@markettheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641.

For reduced price block bookings of 10 or more and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development Specialist at The Market Theatre Foundation) at anthonye@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950.

Diary With My Friends

Music Meets Meaning at Sibah Musiq’s One Night Only Concert

Ekhaya Classic Records and The Art Cave, in association with The Market Theatre Kippies Fringe, present ‘Diary with My Friends’ by Afropop singer, Sibah Musiq. Happening on 30 August 2025 from 19:30, the show is a fresh, soulful live interpretation of Sibah Musiq’s debut album, ‘My Diary’.

This powerful, one-night-only musical and storytelling experience promises audiences intimate access to the rising artist, including personal stories that have shaped his creativity.

Sibah will be accompanied by special musical guests, delivering a moving musical experience that will leave audiences asking for more. More than a concert, this is an emotional journey; an invitation to feel, reflect and connect. With rich vocals, lyrical honesty and a soulful sound, Sibah brings his personal diary to life in a setting where music meets meaning.

The evening will be curated by The Art Cave, made up of Tebogo Malapane and Philangezwi Nxumalo. Their mission is to explore bold, experimental storytelling in live spaces. The duo say the night will be a celebration of love through sound, giving music lovers a special treat. This show, they add, speaks to their unconventional outlook towards theatre as a space for all forms of live entertainment.

“We’re all about experimentation—we’ve always pushed boundaries. This is a beautiful challenge-an opportunity to explore what happens when music and theatre collide. With the Kippies Fringe platform, we believe this is just the beginning of something greater. This project reflects our passion for storytelling that doesn’t follow the norm. Exploring what happens when live music enters a theatre space is something we’re deeply interested in. We’re theatre kids who love music.”

ENDS.

The Market Theatre is a Division of The Market Theatre Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.

For media enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at The Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@markettheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641.

For reduced price block bookings of 10 or more and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development Specialist at The Market Theatre Foundation) at anthonye@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950.

Coming-Of-Age Play Faces Women’s Struggles

Beyond the Curriculum and The Art Cave, in association with The Market Theatre’s Kippies Fringe, are thrilled to present ‘Faces’, an innovative musical theatre production written by Gift Marovatsanga and directed by Masedi Godfrey Manenye. It will run from 7 – 10 August 2025 at Kippies, for a total of five unforgettable performances, as part of the Kippies Fringe Women’s Month programming.

Nominated for the Standard Bank Ovation Award at the 2023 National Arts Festival, ‘Faces’ features an exceptional cast of four actors playing multiple characters. The story explores the profound challenges women encounter in a male-dominated society. At the heart of the narrative lies a young girl who navigates a gallery of her evolution, a reflective museum filled with memories that are both beautiful and painful. As she walks past each portrait, she hears the whispers of their stories—a gaze, a touch, a bruise, a blessing, all representing the people who have influenced her journey.

These artworks symbolise the complex layers of her identity, shaped by those who have uplifted her and those who have cast her down. ‘Faces’ stands as more than just her story; it embodies the experiences of every girl and woman, creating a vivid exhibit of what it truly means to grow up in a world that often overlooks their struggles.

Director, Masedi Manenye, describes the piece as a compelling coming-of-age tale where the protagonist confronts the stark realities of an indifferent world. “The audience is invited to experience both the silence and the outcries that resonate within many girls’ lives. The show offers a poignant exploration of violence, both overt and subtle, and the unseen scars alongside the powerful truths. It addresses the systemic failures that many face and celebrates the inner strength required to rise, to express oneself, and to survive,” he states.

Beyond the Curriculum is a pioneering programme designed to connect rural storytelling with professional platforms. The programme’s strong partnerships with the likes of the National Arts Festival, and support from the National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC), have enabled it to have meaningful impact. In 2024, Beyond the Curriculum hosted The Market Theatre Foundation’s Artistic Director, Greg Homann, who led workshops and ran a powerful masterclass.

The production’s Jo’burg showcase at the Kippies Fringe marks a pivotal moment in the lives of the students driving it, placing them on the iconic Kippies stage that has shaped many artistic careers. “Our work has reached a new level of maturity, and we are proud to present it to new audiences. This performance is not just an artistic endeavour; it’s a vibrant celebration of resilience, growth and the strength of community-driven excellence,” concludes Manenye.

ENDS.

Kippies Fringe is an initiative of The Market Theatre, curated by Art Cave.

The Market Theatre is a Division of The Market Theatre Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.

For media enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at The Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@markettheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641.

100 Years of Kippie Moeketsi: Celebrating a Music Genius and the Father of South African Jazz

The Market Theatre Foundation is honoured to celebrate the musical and cultural legacy of alto saxophonist and jazz musician, Jeremiah “Kippie” Moeketsi, who would be turning 100 on 27 July 2025. Curated by award-winning writer, author and journalist, Sam Mathe, the two-fold celebration will include a book discussion in Kippies as well as a free jazz concert at The Market Theatre.

For the first activity, Sam Mathe will discuss his seminal work, ‘From Kippie to Kippies’. The title is inspired by Kippie Moeketsi’s extraordinary career, as well as the vibrant Newtown jazz club – Kippies – named after him. This path-finding publication traces the footsteps of South Africa’s jazz movement, profiling key players and developments across four generations.

‘From Kippie To Kippies’ is a timely and affirming addition to the ever-changing contemporary landscape, documenting the resilience of various artists as they rose – and continue to rise – from a history of pain and discrimination. In the process, the book casts light on South Africa’s musical creativity, which has often been condemned to the periphery.

The jazz trio of drummer Tumi Mogorosi, saxophonist Muhammad Dawjee and bassist Nhlanhla Radebe join the centenary celebration with a humble musical tribute to Kippie Moeketsi, to be held in the John Kani Theatre. With their exceptional, multi-layered musicality, the Tumi Mogorosi Trio reignite cherished memories of the Kippies Jazz Club—each note evoking rich moments of reflection about the hopes, dreams and frustrations of a pioneering music genius.

Hailed as the father of South African jazz, Kippie was born on 27 July 1925 and died on 27 April 1983, aged 58. In his times, he belonged to a generation that gifted Jo’burg nights with soul and flavour. His music genius inspired and mentored many musicians, such as Abdullah Ibrahim, Jonas Gwangwa and Hugh Masekela.

Kippie co-founded the Jazz Epistles, a band credited for revolutionising the local black jazz culture. In 1959, the Jazz Epistles released the first album by a black South African band, a significant milestone that gave Kippie and his peers iconic status.

When Jo’burg’s popular jazz club was established and needed a name, Abdullah Ibrahim named it after Kippie, in honour of his mentor and friend. For more than two decades, the Kippies stage became every jazz musician’s dream, platforming new works and promoting social cohesion. Just like The Market Theatre complex adjacent to which it’s located, Kippies became a vibrant multi-racial space as different races came together in one ‘chord’, united by the transcendent power of music.

Currently, the 50-seater intimate arthouse is now a fringe venue for The Market Theatre Foundation, still breaking bold and fresh African stories through the Kippies Fringe programming.

Curator, Mathe, expressed great excitement for the upcoming centenary celebration, emphasising the importance of its location. “Kippies is a befitting venue for this historic event; a living monument to Kippie Moeketsi’s peerless legacy. I’m glad that it will play host to such an august occasion. Shortly after publishing ‘From Kippie to Kippies’ in 2021, I thought of an event that could be used to celebrate his legacy on his 100th birth anniversary. It therefore brings me immense joy that such a long-cherished dream is finally becoming a reality.”

The Market Theatre Foundation’s Artistic Director, Greg Homann, adds that Kippie Moeketsi’s centenary celebration is a reminder of the contribution of live music in the fight against oppression. “Kippie Moeketsi and his generation gave South Africans a vocabulary of liberation through music, turning each venue into a crucible for resistance. As we mark what would have been 100 years of this music icon, we also take a moment to recommit ourselves to keeping our stages alive with bold music and culture-shifting live performances,” states Homann.

Kippie reached the highest notes in his short music career, becoming an embodiment of artistic freedom and excellence under difficult times. In honouring his indelible legacy, The Market Theatre Foundation commemorates a fearless icon who led a jazz uprising in the face of apartheid aggression.

ENDS

Spaces for the book talk are limited to 50 spaces and are via invite only. To book free tickets to the jazz concert, visit Webtickets or follow the links via the Market Theatre’s website.

The Market Theatre Foundation is an agency of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.

For media enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at the Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@markettheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641.

The Hyena’s Tuckshop

Hilarious Children’s Play – ‘The Hyena’s Tuckshop’ – a Perfect Outing for Families

Jo’burg parents, gather your little ones around the fire for a sparkling storytelling experience, fuelled with colour, giggles and life-long lessons. The Market Theatre opens its Kippies Fringe programme curated by The Art Cave with a bang by presenting an award-winning children’s play, ‘The Hyena’s Tuckshop’. Playing from 26 – 29 June 2025 for a total of five performances only, young audiences are up for a whirlwind of humour, music, dance and a healthy dose of rebellion in the 50-seater venue alongside The Market Theatre.

The entertaining and empowering play with music is prompted by recent reports of children dying after consuming poisoned foods sold at tuckshops and schoolgrounds, leading to greater need for innovative children’s health and safety campaigns in townships. At the centre of it is a slick and cunning hyena who runs a dodgy tuckshop on a school playground. His prices are sky-high and his products not in good condition. Yet, he always gets away with it…or so he thinks, until a brave and intelligent rabbit calls him out. What follows is a hilarious and heart-pounding showdown between truth and trickery, wrapped in a world of rhythm and colour.

Created and directed by Mongezi Ntukwana, ‘The Hyena’s Tuckshop’ won Best Script and Best Director at the National Children’s Theatre’s Young Directors Festival (2025). This wildly amusing tale introduces children to ideas of justice, accountability, and resistance, all while keeping them in stitches as cartoon-style characters are brought to life with energy, wit and soul. live music gets their cute little toes tapping and beautiful hearts thumping with excitement as they dance along to the Pantsula-inspired moves.

According to Ntukwana, ‘The Hyena’s Tuckshop’ is not just a show but a gift that ignites imagination, builds children’s confidence and facilitates unforgettable learning experiences.

“In a world where children often sense unfairness but don’t always know how to name it, this production nudges them to ask bold questions, trust their instincts, and speak truth to power. This is theatre that respects their intelligence, nurtures their courage, and reminds them that even in a world full of ‘hyenas,’ the rabbit still has a voice, and a sharp mind,” explains Ntukwana.

The Art Cave, curators of the Kippies Fringe, add that this play captures the Fringe’s objective of presenting theatre that holds power accountable and amplifies unheard voices on the fringes of society.

“Children learn best when they’re entertained. They hold on tight to what makes them laugh and sets their spirits free. In a digital age where kids spend so much time glued to screens, ‘The Hyena’s Tuckshop’ goes beyond ordinary storytelling, it magically unlocks social awareness and comprehension, empowering kids to speak up for themselves,” comments Philangezwi Nxumalo, co-founder of The Art Cave.

He concludes that by taking a highly sensitive crisis and grading it to children’s understanding, this show reaffirms the role of children’s theatre as a powerful method for playful, interactive teaching and learning.

‘The Hyena’s Tuckshop’ is presented by Aziye Productions in association with The Art Cave and The Market Theatre for the 2025 Kippies Fringe. Tickets for the show are available on Webtickets at just R100 for all ages. A special discount applies for groups/families of four and more, with those tickets at R80 each.

ENDS.

Kippies Fringe is an initiative of The Market Theatre, curated by The Art Cave.

The Market Theatre is a Division of The Market Theatre Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.

For media enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at The Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@markettheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641.

For school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development Specialist at The Market Theatre Foundation) at anthonye@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950.

The Market Theatre’s Kippies Fringe Programme Returns With Bold, Urgent Storytelling

The Market Theatre’s Kippies Fringe Programme Returns With Bold, Urgent Storytelling

Productions will start running from June through to December 2025, offering artistic vision that platforms storytelling and artistic expression that refuses to play it safe. Audiences will be treated to musical and theatrical performances, alongside the programming of cultural provocations with the power to shift the stage and spark change.

Thematically, the curation that The Art Cave offers will open a door to themes of youth resistance, musical legacy, queer pride, ancestral healing and personal reckoning. “These themes aren’t just relevant; they are urgent. We’re living in a time where theatre must do more than entertain—it must interrupt, heal, educate, and transform,” states Philangezwi Nxumalo

According to Tebogo Malapane, the shortlisting and final selection of shows followed a careful consideration of submissions across multiple performance genres, ensuring that the Kippies Fringe lives up to the vibrant multidisciplinary legacy of the space. The aim was to arrive at a bold, experimental, intimate and transformative programme that sits boldly in the 50-seater venue adjacent to The Market Theatre building.

Malapane adds that curating the return of the Kippies Fringe is a surreal opportunity to prompt the future of storytelling. “As a creative deeply concerned with the evolution of theatre, I’m not here to replicate tradition. I’m here to stretch it, flip it, and reimagine it. Therefore, the Kippies Fringe is more than a stage, it’s a testing ground for the raw, the risky, and the radically new. It’s a platform where artists can be seen and heard before the world tells them who or how to be.”

For The Market Theatre Foundation, bringing back the Kippies Fringe is as much about creating opportunities for live-performance artists as it is about reactivating Kippies as a venue that has propelled many careers before. “Utilising Kippies as a fringe venue ensures professional support for up-and-coming performers and artists, while creating an alternative space to encounter new voices. Through this dual value proposition, The Market Theatre’s longstanding history as an iconic performance space lends itself to works that are still on the fringe, cultivating a fresh and dynamic layer of live-performance artists that could possibly feed into our main programming in the future,” says Artistic Director, Greg Homann.

Some of the performances lined up at Kippies include Jo’burg-based Mongezi Ntukwana’s award-winning satirical theatre piece, ‘The Hyena’s Tuckshop’, and Makhubalo Ikaneng’s ‘Halala Mr. Party’, through which the award-winning storyteller looks at how public joy is often used to mask deep pain.

Again, community-based storytelling will meet national visibility when KZN-based director and teacher, Masedi Manenye, travels to Jo’burg to present ‘Faces’, featuring a cast of University of Zululand alumni. The production emerges from the ‘Beyond the Curriculum’ initiative, an innovative platform championing professional theatre grounded in rural realities.

Meanwhile, a rib-cracking comedy affair awaits, as ‘The Jokeologist’ by Themba Nhlapo joins the Kippies Fringe. This show is a unique fusion of stand-up comedy, poetry, and live music, driven home with sharp wit, lyrical flow and soulful rhythms.

For more information and full line-up, visit www.markettheatre.co.za.

ENDS

The Market Theatre is a Division of The Market Theatre Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.

For media enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at The Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@markettheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641.

For reduced price block bookings of 10 or more and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development Specialist at The Market Theatre Foundation) at anthonye@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950.

THE BLACK CIRCUS OF THE REPUBLIC OF BANTU

The Black Circus of The Republic of Bantu

Internationally Acclaimed Performance Piece Aims to Heal Black Bodies and Spirits

The Market Theatre presents eight performances of ‘The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu’, an explosive and destabilising installation-based performance artwork that aims towards healing generations of trauma inflicted on Black bodies. The internationally-travelled piece is performed by NYC Bessie Award winner, Albert Ibokwe Khoza, in collaboration with award-winning director, Princess Zinzi Mhlongo.

Its strictly limited season over weekends at The Market Theatre will run from 13 – 29 June 2025. This after selling out venues and performing to critical acclaim in major cities such as Amsterdam, Liverpool, New York and Barcelona, among others. It has been hosted by progressive festivals and organisations, including the Liverpool Biennial and the U.S-based Boom Arts, to mention a few.

Locally, the work has been seen briefly in Cape Town, Soweto and Johannesburg

‘The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu’ is an artistic display of the violent and shocking legacy of ethnological expositions such as human zoos and exhibitions in Western societies, popularised by the human curiosities movement between the late 19^th century to mid-20^th century. Through this movement, Black people – most notably Sarah Baartman – were uprooted from their homelands, commercially exploited and intrusively paraded for the white fetish. At an urgent pace, Khoza offers a visceral experience that thrusts the audience into re-examining this history – a history often left unspoken – and boldly opens portals for us to reclaim, reflect, and confront ourselves as a people.

The haunting and, at times, shocking confrontation goes further to lament the reduction of Blackness into a performance. The text makes the claim that Black bodies are institutionalised crime scenes that must be redeemed and cleansed. Piercingly, Khoza investigates the effect of this imperial and colonial gaze on Black people and its modern day continuation, emphasising the need for spiritual healing and reclaiming violated dignities.

This installation-based performance evokes the exploitation of Black power across industries, contending that this country was built on the unbreakable backs of Black people doing the work, and a White messiah shamelessly profiting from it. According to Khoza, Black creatives are still chained like slaves who need a White master in the form of international curators and funding organisations to penetrate local and global markets.

“With this secular performance,” Khoza explains, “I am questioning the freedom of the performer and whether it’s still caged, if the stage is the modern day human zoo. In paying tribute to the victims of the horrific legacy of slavery, I look back at the likes of Sarah Baartman who were coerced into unpaid public exhibitions and confront my own exploitation as a performer. Am I that different from them even now?”

Allow Khoza to lead you into an atmosphere of collective healing, feel the shackles that hold you back fall off, and break into a sense of spiritual connection.

Tickets for ‘The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu’ are available on Webtickets, selling at R120 up until 12 June. Thereafter, all tickets are R150.

Age restriction is 16+, with scenes of full frontal nudity and disturbing references.

ENDS

The Market Theatre is a Division of The Market Theatre Foundation, an agency of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.

For media enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at The Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@markettheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641.

For reduced price block bookings of 10 or more and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development Specialist at The Market Theatre Foundation) at anthonye@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950.

Hey Hillbrow! Come Out To Play—The Streets Are CallingThe Last Country

Hey Hillbrow! Come Out To Play—The Streets Are Calling

Hey Hillbrow! Come Out To Play—The Streets Are Calling

The Windybrow Arts Centre, a division of The Market Theatre Foundation, and its partners are proud to present the sixth iteration of its annual parade, Hey Hillbrow! Let’s Dlala!

Fun, joy and creative energies are set to fill the inner-city of Jo’burg this Africa Month as Hey Hillbrow! splashes the neighbourhood with colourful visuals and alters the soundscape with exciting frequencies. The parade, which cuts through Hillbrow and Doornfontein, takes place on 24 May 2025. It starts at 10am from The Windybrow Arts Centre, followed by a music concert featuring Thamsanqa Vuthela Band, Mozambique’s The Dizzy Brains and Styles Da Deejay of The Creators Room.

Launched in 2017, Hey Hillbrow! is a celebration of the possibilities that public performance brings to public space—to spread energy, laughter, surprise and provocation, and to make visible the wonderful work that several organisations and individuals have continued to do in impacting inner-city communities and spaces. It is once again curated by Tamzyn Botha, alongside Daniel Buckland and The Windybrow Arts Centre.

Hey Hillbrow! is a collaboration between The Windybrow Arts Centre and likeminded local youth organisations: Dlala Nje, Shade, Dlamini Foundation, Johannesburg Society for the Blind, Innovation of Excellence, Lefika La Phodiso, Fight with Insight and MES. Again, the parade is proud to have favourites, the Ezase Vaal Brass Band, returning to one of Jo’burg’s most anticipated playdates for an unforgettable performance. The brass band will sonically lead and weave the crowd through worlds upon the parade.

Another highlight for this iteration is The Cirk, a descending razzle joining the parade from the sky. African Reclaimers Organisation continues to supply art and costumes created from waste, as well as waste reclaimer bag forms. These green creations make up the visual language of the entire parade, paying homage to the peripheral purveyors themselves and encouraging environmentally healthy practices.

According to Gerard Bester, Head of The Windybrow Arts Centre, Hey Hillbrow! Let’s Dlala! highlights the creative abilities of young people in the inner-city of Jo’burg, while pricking at the conscience of authorities to make the city a better place for all.

“The parade offers a moment of awe and wonderment for young people living in the sometimes tortured but culturally rich city of Johannesburg. It further celebrates the talents and creative vibrancy of young people, bringing joy and surprise to residents and visitors on the streets and balconies of Hillbrow. This year promises even more wonder and entanglement as we move through the streets as portals into the past, the future and the now,” Bester says.

The parade is more than just a mystical adventure. Beyond the thrill of the moment, it aims to spotlight the resilience, creativity, humanity and complexity of inner-city youth, while transforming the often high-risk area into a fun-filled playground. For once, their gaze at the weathered buildings around them sparkles with possibilities as they actively participate in reimagining the aesthetic of their neighbourhood.

Hey Hillbrow! Let’s Dlala! was inspired by the life of Jo’burg public art super-heroine, the late Lesley Perkes, who had dreams for the inner city place which others have continued to manifest. The organisers are therefore deeply grateful for the generous support from the following sponsors: Ekhaya CID, Badboys Security, Hillbrow Police, Assitej South Africa, CCBSA, Joburg Photowalkers, the City of Johannesburg, Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, and our media partner Johannesburg in your Pocket.

ENDS.

The Market Theatre Foundation is an agency of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.

For media enquiries, please contact Bongiwe Potelwa (Publicist at the Market Theatre Foundation) at bongiwep@markettheatre.co.za or (011) 832 1641.

Tutu Puoane: Wrapped In Rhythm at the Market Theatre

Tutu Puoane: Wrapped In Rhythm at the Market Theatre

With the blessing of acclaimed poet Lebogang Mashile, celebrated jazz vocalist and composer Tutu Puoane brought a fresh musical dimension to Mashile’s debut anthology, “In A Ribbon of Rhythm”. Carefully selecting a series of evocative poems, Puoane wove them into a rich, original repertoire, blending her signature fusion of African jazz, soul, and singer-songwriter influences.

The result is a deeply personal and emotionally resonant musical journey that breathes new life into Mashile’s words, transforming them into melodies that pulse with rhythm and meaning. Puoane’s interpretations honour the spirit of the original poetry, while infusing it with her unique artistry, creating a vibrant and soul-stirring experience. This project stands as a testament to the power of collaboration between poetry and music, offering audiences an immersive celebration of storytelling in sound.

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