Heritage festival to celebrate Wentworth’s cultural history and diversity
A photographic exhibition and storytelling sessions will form part of the festival.
AIMED at celebrating Wentworth’s rich cultural diversity and history this Heritage Month, a four-day arts and heritage festival is set to take place at the Transhaven Centre, situated at 51 Treasure Beach Road, from September 22 to 25, starting at 10:00 each day.
The inaugural festival, which is set to take place under the title, ‘Community Arise, Celebrating the Diverse Heritage of Wentworth and Beyond – A Journey Spanning Six Decades’, will feature film, literature, storytelling, photography exhibitions, ‘coloured’ comedy, poetry, stage music, dance and live performances from some of Wentworth’s top talents and thought leaders.
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Oliver Meth, an organising committee member, said the community of Wentworth has a vibrant, diverse and complex heritage and history.
“Since the early 1960s, it has been home to a community of diverse people, previously classified as ‘coloured’, who in their very DNA, draw the diverse identity strands of the province, the country, the African continent and the world together,” he said.
Meth said the event also aims to stimulate interest and participation in heritage, arts and culture-related activities.
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“Through the festival, we hope to also overcome negative stereotypes and nurture a proud ‘coloured’ identity,” he said.
“The exhibition also presents an opportunity for current and past residents of Wentworth to donate photographs to the Wentworth Social History Project that will become part of the archival material for a planned open-access digital archive.
“The storytelling sessions will allow for the exploration of a range of themes pertinent to the history and challenges faced by the community, such as experiences of forced removal, the history of environmental issues in Wentworth, the history of sport in Wentworth, ‘colouredness’, youth experiences of democracy and various socio-economic issues that impact on the community’s hybrid identity. We hope to see the greater community at the festival,” he said.
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