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SIDA !HUB

PLACING FOCUS ON CULTURE THAT IS MINORITISED TO COMMEMORATE HERITAGE MONTH

The Market Theatre Laboratory in partnership with the National Heritage Council will bring Heritage Month to a close at The Market Theatre Foundation by hosting a weeklong programme from 26 – 29 September 2024. The programme will celebrate the histories of minoritised identities and galvanise hope and action towards further protection and cultivation of projects that seek to unite, challenge and develop a sustainable democracy.

The programme will place focus on the stories of minoritised culture and identities to celebrate indigenous language systems and indigenous stories. It will also make room for indigenous narratives and languages to take up space in our creative spaces.

As part of the celebrations, The Lab presents their next Theatre Think Tank instalment, curated by artist-researcher Pule kaJanolintji (Tūkx’aoseb) together with the presentation of Swartwater, a theatre production by Nama Khoi Productions. For the Theatre Think Tank, titled Sida !Hūb: Performing The Land, Pule will bring together two panellists to share their embodied knowledge and research. Collectively, they will tell the story of how land is culture and culture is land, placing minoritised culture and identities at the forefront of the conversation.

The Lab’s Theatre Think Tanks serve as an invaluable exploration and reflection on the wealth of knowledge enacted, embodied and performed by practitioners in the arts, culture and heritage field. The specific aim is to gather, organise and ultimately draw on the knowledge of local communities, making this accessible to the greater community. 

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This Heritage Month iteration of the Theatre Think Tank will unpack the notion of how minoritisation of culture is the dispossession of land, especially when it comes to issues of indigeneity and authenticity. If you are engaged in the arts, or are just curious, don’t miss the Sida !Hūb: Performing The Land Theatre Think Tank which starts at 12h00 on Sunday, 29 September 2024 at The Market Square in Newtown.

The Think Tank is a FREE event.

The production, Swartwater, tells the story about the losses experienced by the Nama Khoi indigenous people during the discovery of diamonds in the 1900s. The story follows a Nama family as they face the painful reality of once again being asked to uproot their lives and leave Swartwater, for the Cape Colony. Through the eyes of Tieles, who is in the process of departing Swartwater, audiences are taken on an emotional journey of profound loss as they unpack the previous forced removals from Dunvlei and Ariesdrift. Swartwater guides the audience through a profound exploration of grief, resilience, and the enduring spirit of a people determined to overcome adversity.

Speaking on the upcoming programme, the head of The Market Theatre Lab, Cherae Halley, says: “Theatre has always had the ability to open dialogue, raise awareness and challenge social norms which often can lead to meaningful action. This Heritage-centred programme will provoke audiences as we look Genocide in the face and engage with the view that land and heritage cannot be separate matters. There is a minoritised culture and minoritised identities in Southern Africa, that need to be repositioned in the patchwork of our African story. I believe both the Think Tank and the production of Swartwater will remind us of that. This is how The Lab wishes to commemorate notions of heritage and culture this month.”

At the helm of Nama Khoi Productions is an extraordinary theatre-maker, Geralt Cloete, whose work is focused on sharing the experiences of the Nama people. Nama Khoi Productions is  situated in Sanddrift, a community on the outskirts of the Northern Cape, in the Namaqualand Region. To bring their work to Johannesburg will assist in expanding the reach of their stories and invite Johannesburg audiences to honour such stories as well as contribute to the developing knowledge of a past not often spoken about.

Audiences can catch their production of Swartwater from Thursday, 26 September to Sunday, 29 September 2024.

To purchase your ticket for this event, kindly visit Webtickets.

ENDS

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

For reduced price block bookings (of 10 or more) and school groups, contact Anthony Ezeoke (Audience Development) at AnthonyE@markettheatre.co.za or 083 246 4950 or Mamello Khomongoe at mamellok@markettheatre.co.za 0815729612.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About Pule kaJanolintji:

Pule kaJanolintji (Tūkx’aoseb) is an artist-researcher and cultural technologist working in transdisciplinary peer-learning based in endogenous cultural history and philosophy, with a focus on siNtu Khwemana, and !Ui-Taa language traditions. Pule’s work engages, for example, the |Xam archive through the lens of linguistic philosophy and ontologies of sign, as a scholar of cultural history of Southern African speech practice, presenting this work in artistic form in laboratories such as the Centre for the Less Good Idea, and at various in academic and cultural institutions, such as the School of Commons based at the Zürich University of the Arts. Pule was the administrator of the Khoen di !Nora!noras ǁGū!nans group founded by the late Rassool Snyman, and continues to engage issues of marginalised endogenous traditions of !Naremâb and Azania. Pule has worked as a researcher in the South African government at the National Language Service, and as a guest lecturer at many universities, primarily advocating for the writing systems of the continent, particular the pan-siNtu indigenous writing system, Ditema tsa Dinoko.

About Nama Khoi Productions:

Nama Khoi Productions, established in June 2022 by Geralt Cloete, is made up of a group of young individuals and Khoi activists who use the arts as a methodology to promote, preserve and develop the indigenous knowledge of the Nama Khoi language and culture. They are dedicated to share the experiences of the Nama Khoi people and their culture through the stories they tell and productions they produce. Their award-winning productions continue to raise awareness of the indigenous people located in the Namaqualand Region.

About the Market Theatre Lab:

Homed under the umbrella of The Market Theatre Foundation, The Market Theatre Lab is a multi-award-winning arts incubator, with a reputation for facilitating the development of exceptional young theatre-makers, facilitators, actors, writers and directors, and for creating innovative and relevant new plays. With multiple local, African and global partners, the Lab strives to create enriching experiences that contribute to the personal and artistic growth of each person who participates in our programmes. When the Market Theatre Laboratory opened its doors in 1989, the intention of its founders, Vanessa Cooke, Dr John Kani and Barney Simon, was to provide opportunities to talented youth from disadvantaged backgrounds who would not otherwise be able to pursue their passion for the arts or study further. This remains an integral part of the Lab’s purpose, along with a determination to assist young artists to build sustainable careers, and to create space and visibility for subaltern experiences, voices and identities. The Market Theatre Laboratory is led by Cherae Halley, with all projects managed by Thandeka Nheke.