The cast of Lucky Cele's "Mashu: The Musical"
DURBAN
- The Alliance Française and the eThekwini municipality present the fourth annual free Human Rights Day Francofête. Programme highlights include Swiss pianist, text sculptor and arranger of complex melodies Nicolas Fraissinet; Rumbacdordeon, a collaboration between Congolese rumba maestro and Afro-Cuban guitarist, arranger and composer Papa Noel and eclectic French accordionist Viviane Arnoux; and Maloya Blues performer Sofy Mazandira, a Senegalese singer. The international line-up is complemented by local performers, visual artists and puppeteers. There will be a museum and library bus and a children’s area with activities by teachers and storytellers. WHEN March?21 from noon until 10pm. WHERE Under the trees in Sutton Park, Morningside INFO Entrance is free. Call 031?312?9582 or visit alliance.org.za
- Written by Lucky Cele, Mashu: The Musical tells a moving yet harrowing tale of the trials and tribulations of two brothers caught up in the madness that shattered the lives of the people of KwaMashu in the mid-1990s. This original new musical theatre production is designed and directed by Themi Venturas. WHEN Until March 22. WHERE Playhouse Opera Theatre. INFO Booking through computicket.com or call 031?267?2863.
Samkelisiwe Hlophe and Simthandile Mtolo from Mashu: The Musical
CAPE TOWN
- Themed “Happy me, happy you”, the fourth Ubuntu Festival returns after a two-year absence. Under the auspices of the South African Ubuntu Foundation, the Amy Biehl Foundation is the beneficiary. The headline act is Mi Casa and the supporting act is Chad Saaiman. There will be food trucks, dance musical showcases from Russia, Lithuania, the United States and India, as well as children’s activities. WHEN March 21 from 11am. WHERE Maynardville Park, Wynberg.
- The Fugard Theatre will screen Ida, the Oscar winner for best foreign language film co-produced by the Fugard’s founder, Eric Abraham. Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski and written by Pawlikowski in collaboration with Rebecca Lenkiewicz, the film is set in Poland in 1962 and is about a woman on the verge of taking vows as a nun. Orphaned as an infant during World War II and the German occupation, she now meets her aunt, who tells her that her parents were Jewish. The two women embark on a road trip into the countryside to learn the fate of their family. The film penetrates “the darkest, thorniest thickets of Polish history, reckoning with the crimes of Stalinism and the Holocaust”. WHEN March?21 at 7:30pm. COST Tickets at R100 will be available from the Fugard Theatre box office on 021?461?4554 or at computicket.com
JOHANNESBURG
- Wits Theatre presents the first in a series of events, dialogues, poetry, drama and music about the artist as activist. Gita Pather, director of Wits Theatre, chairs a panel discussion on A Reflection on the role artistes played in the struggle for freedom in South Africa. The panelists include Maishe Maponya, Dan Robbertse, Morakabe Raks Seakhoa, Lesego Rampolokeng and Mpho Molopo. After the panel discussion, poets Rampolokeng and Maishe Maponya partner with a new generation of politically inclined poets, Vangi Gantsho and Sabelo Soko. WHEN March 20 at 7pm. WHERE Wits Theatre.
- Major League Gardens Social Music Festival in association with Channel O presents Major League, Okmalumkoolkat, Kwesta, Sphectacula and Naves, AKA and Riky Rick, among others, as part of this outdoor event. WHEN March?21 from midday. WHERE Innesfree Park, Sandton. COST R150 at computicket.com, R200 at the gate or R500 for VIP. INFO Cooler boxes allowed before 6pm.
Okmalumkoolkat will also perform at the Major League Gardens Social Music Festival
- Catch Inner City Comedy featuring Tats Nkonzo, Kagiso Lediga, Robbie Collins, Skhumba and Nina Hastie and hosted by Mojak Lehoko, who says: “The aim of Inner City Comedy is to take theatre-based comedy shows to regions of South Africa that may not have had access to such, while providing a platform for young and established comedians to showcase their abilities.” WHEN March 20. WHERE Market Theatre, Newtown. COST Tickets range from R120 to R150.
- This year’s 99% Zulu Comedy line-up includes Tol A$$ Mo, Sifiso Nene, Skhumba Hlophe, Simphiwe Shembe, Tsoro, Qatha Khuzwayo and Smokey Nyembe. Celebrating its 10th anniversary, 99% Zulu Comedy is the only live vernacular stand-up comedy show. WHEN March 26 and 27 at 8pm. WHERE Gold Reef City, Ormonde. COST R180 at computicket.com or goldreefcity.co.za
- 21 Songs for 21 Years of Democracy presents a unique season of concerts showcasing 21 landmark musical moments in South Africa. The line-up, which is subject to change, includes Johnny Clegg, Steve Kekana, Zwai Bala, Kurt Darren, Sipho Hotstix Mabuse, Dorothy Masuku, Mahotella Queens and more. WHERE The Nelson Mandela stage at Jo’burg Theatre, Braamfontein. WHEN March 26 to April 12. COST Tickets range from R100 to R250 at www.joburgtheatre.com Shows start at 7.30pm from Thursdays to Saturdays, 3pm on Sundays and 3pm on Monday April 6.
- Alternative music stars and South African Music Award winners Nomsa “Nomisupasta” Mazwai and Nakhane Touré will share the stage at Constitution Hill and singer Thandiswa Mazwai aka King Tha will DJ the event. WHEN March 26 at 8pm WHERE The Hill Café, Constitution Hill, Hillbrow. TICKETS R100 early-bird tickets on sale at quicket.co.za