IN PICTURES: Stories come alive under the tree
"The Bluff has a very rich history and I know that it will come to the fore as more older people who have lived here for a long time share their knowledge with our audiences," said Dr Gcina Mhlophe.
GUESTS at the inaugural Stories and Music under the Storytelling Tree got to witness the ancient art come alive before their eyes.
The beautiful Saturday morning, 24 August weather complimented the day’s events at the Bluff Showgrounds where world-renowned actress, playwright, storyteller and author, Dr Gcina Mhlophe, graced the audience with her iconic voice and knack of storytelling.
“The dream of a storytelling tree has been long coming. I identified different trees in a few parts of Durban ever since I returned from Johannesburg. But each time it promised for a while, then things didn’t work out,” said the multi-talented Dr Gcina. “The Bluff has a very rich history and I know that it will come to the fore as more older people who have lived here for a long time share their knowledge with our audiences,” she added.
The eThekwini Living Legend said that multi-disciplinary collaboration was a key component to this event’s success, which is planned to be done monthly, made possible by the collaborative work between Gcinamasiko Arts and Heritage Trust (GAHT), eThekwini Parks and Recreation, Area Based Management and the ward 66 councillor.
“The support from the city and councillor, JP Prinsloo, means a lot to us. The presence of USA Consular General, Sherry Sykes was also much appreciated. The need for family cultural entertainment in the South Durban Basin has been long coming,” said the international cultural ambassador for the past three decades. “I’ve proudly represented my country in many parts of the world.”
Director of Usiko Trust, Ntuthuko Khuzwayo, gave an informative talk about the historic and spiritual value of the king of trees which was chosen to hold this auspicious event, and musicians Victor Sithole and Njabulo Shabalala added musical ambiance to the event.
Dr Gcina is an activist, an executive director of GAHT and author of many books published in many languages around the world, including Italian, German, French, Portuguese, Swahili and Japanese.
The next Stories and Music under the Storytelling Tree gathering will be on Saturday, 28 September focusing on Heritage and Storytelling. Entry is free and the event is family orientated.
GAHT is founded on the success of its founding member, actress and storyteller, Gcina Mhlophe. GAHT is committed to enhancing the culture of reading, providing writing and story creation opportunities and promoting African writers and the heritage of storytelling within the educational institutions and in the public arena of South Africa through its Edutainment programme.
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