Developing youth through art

Maseo nethanani

LIMPOPO – MY child, your child, our child. Together we can make South Africa a better place. This is the motto that keeps Sebasa Mogale, the managing director of Flattone Arts and Communications going.

Established in 2012, Flattone Arts and Communications specialises in the arts and communication.

Mogale says he started the company to help develop the community and to address social ills such as teenage pregnancy and substances abuse through art.

“Job creation for young people is also an important aspect of the company. We believe that the arts can help people make a living. We want to develop young people’s skills,” says Mogale.

He says they have already produced two stage plays, My Story, a story about child protection and Be the Change, which deals with substances abuse, teenage pregnancy, family violence and bullying at school. They partnered with Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the office of the premier Limpopo on both productions.

Mogale says the company fuses professional artists with upcoming artists to help develop their craft.

“This is a professional black-owned production company which caters to the socio-economic needs of our people, especially historically disadvantaged South Africans. In Limpopo, artists are left out, we don’t seem to have enough resources to get them going. Flattone Arts and Communications wants to change this,” he says.

He adds that the company does not only deal with stage plays, but the arts in general.

“We also empower young people as voice-over artists for radio and we train them for free. Our aim is to have an arts village where we will be able to rehearse and have performances”.