Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, to pay special tribute to the Living Legends at Market Theatre

Minister of Arts and Culture Minister, Nathi Mthethwa will honour the enormous contribution of South Africa’s Living Legends to the Arts, Culture and Heritage sector and towards the development of Arts and Culture Industry in a one-night special performance on 23 April. The special tribute will be presented by the Department of Arts and Culture in partnership with the Market Theatre Foundation.

Read: Another One’s Bread opens at the Market Theatre

Hosted at the John Kani Theatre, the event will honour and celebrate both South Africa’s past and current legends with a compilation called, ‘Re go rwesha dipalakata’ – A Song for our Legends which will be a melting pot of the works that were created by Jonas Gwangwa; Fred Hagemann; Prof. Keorapetse Kgositsile; Abigail Kubeka; Joseph Louw; Peter Magubane; Miriam Makeba; Dorothy Masuka; Don Matera; Todd Matshikiza; Miriam Tladi; Dolly Rathebe; Caiphus Semenya and Adam Small. A piece of the works of each of these legends selected from the body of work that they created over many years is included in the production.

This night of the Legends compilation is a mixture of music, song, spoken word and dance complemented by projection and photography. The Legends selected for this piece and their works are interwoven by various vignettes and montages that flow seamlessly from one to the next in logical sequence to provide an entertaining 90 minutes performance piece.

Mthethwa said “Since the Living Legends programme was launched on 25 August 2015, the Living Legends have participated in more than 100 public participation programmes and impacted more than 2000 participants ranging from master classes, colloquiums, guest lectures and incubator workshops at community art centres and public entities across the country. They have influenced, shaped and shared their skills, knowledge and African wisdom largely to the youth.”

Prior to the Legends Tribute, Mthethwa will also launch the Living Legends Legacy Trust Endowment Fund at the Market Theatre. The Living Legends Committee have concluded the establishment of the Living Legends Legacy Programme (LLLP) Trust and are overseeing a number of programmes that increase their socio-economic participation. This Board of Trustees will be charged with the daunting task of making sure that our Living Legends, including those that are not part of this event today, benefit optimally from the programmes of the Living Legends Legacy Project.

Mthethwa will also hand over the cheque to the Living Legends.

Read: Minister Mthethwa launches award-winning Market Square in Newtown

The ultimate objective is to provide continued support and increase the living legends’ economic beneficiation prospects. This, however, should not be misconstrued as a social security intervention.

“We are merely balancing the scales of justice to ensure mutual beneficiation and stimulate a dynamic cross-generational interaction among the practitioners in the arts, culture and heritage sector. We also believe that our Living legends, have a fundamental role to play in assisting aspirant artists to hone their skills”, added Mthethwa.