Africa Month celebrated with fashion show and craft
The provincial government recently celebrated Africa Month with a fashion show held at Emnotweni on May 27.
MBOMBELA – The Fashion and Craft event hosted by the Department of Arts and Culture was a first for Mpumalanga.
This prestigious show was graced by delegates from the office of the minister of arts and culture, the Consulate of Mozambique and numerous top designers in Africa.
Of them, four were designers from Mpumalanga. They included Blesset Sobi, who was invited to New York for the famous rhino dress he created in 2013/2014 for a anti-rhino poaching campaign.
Eight national designers and four from Ghana, Nigeria, Swaziland and Mozambique also showcased their talent.
The purpose of this event was to create more awareness about the issues around xenophobia, gender equality, women and child abuse, political unrest and related social issues by focusing on unity within South Africa and the African continent.
Their slogan in this celebration of Africa Month was “Building a better Africa and a better world”. “We as Africans are one family,” said keynote speaker Lindi Ndebele-Koka, from the office of the Minister of Arts and Culture, during the opening.
“We must embrace Ubuntu and invest in the cultivation of unity within this family by creating discussion platforms in local communities.
Invest in the change for a better future. The main objective should be actual economic development, not only talks.”
The coordinators, Blessing Shongwe, from Mpumalanga Fashion Extravaganza and Mandla Hlope, of Malengs, did their best work and managed to create a event of distinction.
Most models were recruited by Ephymol and Blesset Sobi, from Johannesburg and Mpumalanga, and always behaved in a professional manner.
Photos: Odette Hartzenberg / Iconic Management
