The Sophiatown Arts Festival will be held on February 10 and 11, a celebration of creativity and design that should not be missed.
Violet Mohotloane who works at the Trevor Huddleston CR Memorial Centre said, “This festival is imagined as an annual heritage and contemporary arts festival which aims to bring the people of Johannesburg together in the historic suburb of Sophiatown.”
Artists, curators, and residents both past and present have collaborated on the imaginative event which will showcase the best the area has to offer and delve deeply into its history which is full and rich.
“Under the theme Ghosts, 68 years after the forced removals began on February 9, 1955, the painstaking research project to amass content for the festival has resulted in a tapestry of stories, music, images, maps, interviews, and, information on the area.”
The festival will showcase this content with a backdrop of music, children’s workshops, dance, and community building for a fun 48 hours.
Craig Hodgson, a local street artist and graffiti writer, has recently embarked on restoring a wall of the centre and creating an appealing street mural on it with the word ‘Sophiatown’ displayed proudly.
“We hope the wall will become a wall of Sophiatown legends incorporating the best the area has to offer from musicians, performers, journalists, and more. We have begun with the famous trumpeter, Hugh Masekela. Luckily the city has granted us permission for the project which is fantastic,” he said.
Hodgson hopes the festival will encourage homeowners and businesses to let their walls be used as open galleries for street artists or graffiti writers who beautify our concrete spaces.
The festival will be held at 71 Toby Street in Sophiatown. Call 083 550 7130 for more information.
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