Zwakala now inclusive of other African countries
NEWTOWN - On 23 February, a world first will take place in Johannesburg.
Through a partnership between SABC3, Deaf Television (Dtv), the Department of Arts and Culture and the City of Johannesburg, deaf youth from 11 African countries will come together to celebrate the expressive beauty of sign language at the eighth Zwakala Festival.
The festival, now in its eighth year running, was established from an idea of creating a platform by the Deaf for the Deaf as people from the Deaf community felt excluded from mainstream competitions in the performing arts.
Zwakala was aimed at creating a platform to not only motivate the deaf youth of South Africa, but also to promote their self-empowerment and to bring forth hope and understanding.
It provided a platform where deaf youth could express their feelings, fears and hopes through the performing arts.
This year, the competition will continue to give deaf people exposure and to showcase their talent in the fields of poetry and drama.
The festival has four exciting categories open to pupils from primary up to secondary schools and this year, Dtv has chosen a strong panel of judges. The judges are all experts in the field of performing arts, deaf education, sign language and English.
The winners from the various categories will be announced at a Gala event at the John Kani Theatre in Newtown on 27 February.
The judges, together with the Patron Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, the Mayor of Johannesburg, ambassadors and various dignitaries, will be entertained by the 88 finalists from Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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