Arts festival great opportunity for youth
AR2-MILLION township dance and drama development programme, Theatre of Possibilities, was launched at the PE Opera House yesterday. The programme, a project of the Opera House and Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, will see a dance and drama festival run from September 8 to 12.
There are about 180 pupils from different schools in Nelson Mandela Bay who will benefit from the programme, the aim of which is to assist young people discover the arts.
"We want to champion coherent development and growth of performing art excellence in the Eastern Cape. This will also be the empowerment of youth in drama. Calls will be made to all schools, youth clubs and churches for them to submit basic concepts," Monde Ngonyama, general manager of the PE Opera House, said.
The launch was attended by Vukile Pokwana, of the Eastern Cape Provincial Arts and Culture Council (Ecpacc), the recently appointed MEC of Sports, Arts and Culture, Pemmy Majodina, municipal officials, Isidingo executive producer and project patron Pumla Hopa, and Sisanda Henna, an actor and director. Majodina said: "It is time to transform our country to reflect who we are through art. Young people remain our future and they are unstoppable and we need to direct their energy towards the future."
She went on to say that her department was mandated to ensure that people in the province lived healthy lifestyles.
"We have injected R8-million into the Opera House because we want it to become the centre of excellence – so that the Opera House can assist young people to unearth the potential that they have. Culture is our only heritage," Majodina said.
New Brighton-born Hopa said she left for Johannesburg because of a lack of opportunities.
"People think that things cannot happen for them because they are from PE but for me it happened. Doors were opened to me. This is the industry where people can make a living and therefore the young ones need to grab this opportunity with both hands. Young people have to reach for their dreams and they should never stop knocking on doors – eventually someone will open at some point," she said.
Henna also encouraged young people to believe in their dreams because nothing was impossible.
The deadline to submit concepts is June 17 and the winning concept will be announced on June 20. - Yoliswa Sobuwa
