Nkiyase on a mission to profile Alex
ALEXANDRA - Alex born songstress, actor and business lady maybe the spark the township needs to rebrand itself as a tourist attraction.
An Alex-born songstress, actress and business woman, Nkayise Mondlana (35), might provide the spark the township needs to rebrand itself as a tourist attraction.
Said to be the mother of all townships, Alex is infamous for crime and vice that makes it lag behind, especially Soweto, in benefiting from its rich historical background. Soweto is said to thrive on its well-organised tourist attractions.
This pains Mondlana, who attributed this to a lack of positive, sustained and organised marketing of Alex’s deep and diverse struggle, arts and culture, music, sports and entertainment history. “Our deep past is known and retained by a few remaining elderly citizens who will soon disappear before it’s fully documented for posterity and exposure to the huge local and international tourist market,” she stressed.
Mondlana said Alex had many buildings and churches which were heritage sites, while in Soweto, similar places were major international attractions, such as the Hector Peterson Memorial, and Vilakazi Street in Orlando which was home to Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Mondlana said this was despite Mandela having lived in Alex first. “His former room on 7th Avenue and homes of other prominent struggle, sports and entertainment stalwarts who relocated to Soweto, should be notable heritage sites for tourists clamouring to know about Alex’s role in South Africa’s struggle history.”
She cited a lack of information on the Vincent Tshabalala statue on 13th Avenue and Vincent Tshabalala Road as examples of neglect of the township’s profitable tourist potential.
Her profiling of Alex started with a visit to the township by prominent musician Dr Malinga through her partnership with Alex FM. She will be organising more celebrities and leaders to visit Alex. “They will be our ambassadors who will also infuse skills to struggling businesses and motivate the youth to be achievers, observers and respecters of their history,” Mondlana stressed.
“We should tap into the richness of our diverse cultures, values, and, have our entertainment legends expose this diversity artistically to tourists and the broader public. Also, schools should be encouraged to conduct choir and poetry competitions to expose children to their history from an early age.”
Details: Nkiyase Mondlana 074 235 8774.
