Samanthole Arts Foundation

In the hallowed halls of black artistic history, the name of Ingoapele Madingoane resonates as a testament to the enduring power of poetry to transcend oppression and ignite the flames of liberation. As I pay homage to the trailblazers who came before me, Madingoane's legacy stands as a towering beacon of courage, creativity, and unyielding resistance. The Poet Laureate of Soweto, Ingoapele Madingoane was born in Sophiatown in 1948. He was a sociopolitical activist, brilliant writer and politically conscious Poet. Ingoapele Madingoane was also an artist and youth of 1976 who deserves greater recognition. Madingoane was a member of Mhloti and Mdali, and the poet who wrote the anthemic Africa My Beginning. The poem in its form and rendition drew on traditional praise or heroic poetry and it was banned soon after its publication in 1979. Soweto Poet Laureate Ingoapele Madingoane in his early years.  Dubbed The Poet Laureate of Soweto, Madingoane's words reverberated wi

Today in celebration of the Black Artists Who Came Before Me, I look at the legend whose work I interacted with over the years, Maishe Maponya (1951 - 2021) was born in Alexandra Township and his family was later forcefully relocated to Diepkloof, Soweto in the early 1960s. Maponya was an incredible poet, playwright, actor, director, lecturer and human rights activist. Maishe Maponya, playwright, actor, director, lecturer, and human rights activist. Pic Credit: Internet  In the annals of black artistic excellence, Maishe Maponya stands as a beacon of inspiration and innovation. As I reflect on the shoulders of giants upon which I stand, Maponya's contributions loom large, shaping the trajectory of black creativity for generations to come. Born in South Africa during a time of profound societal upheaval, Maponya's journey as an artist was imbued with resilience and defiance. In the face of adversity, he wielded his craft as a tool for liberation, challenging the st

Thanks to one of our wonderful Art Writers in Residency, Khumo Kimati Mcunu for compering this event tonight. We are so proud of you! Ladies and gentlemen, Good evening and welcome to the William Humphreys Art Gallery. On behalf of the gallery, I extend our deepest apologies for the absence of our director, Ms. Nelly Mkhize, who regrettably couldn't be with us tonight. Nevertheless, her spirit of support and appreciation for the arts resonates throughout this event. Khumo Kimati Mcunu ( Arts Writer In Residence) Sabata-mpho Mokae ( Author and Creative Writing Lecturer at SPU ) Rochester Rocky Mafafo ( Renowned Veteran based artist) Chepape Makgato ( Chief Curator at WHAG) and Jonathan van der Walt ( WHAG's 2024 Artist In Residency ) at the opening reception of From the Woods to the Soil. Tonight, we gather not only to celebrate the remarkable talent of Jonathan van der Walt but, we stand not only as stewards of artistic expression but as custodians of memory and tri

Day 31 of 100 of the Siphindile Nuh Chelsea Hlongwa challenge that I should write down my thoughts / experiences about how I survived four decades in cultural leadership positions. In this post I write about why I took full ownership for how I defined my role as an Artistic Director and my relationship with festival committees.   Dr. Ismail Mahomed Illustrated Portrait. Photo Credit: Facebook  Arts festivals in South Africa generally operate on one of three programming models: 1. Festivals can have a curatorial committee that is responsible for the overall selection of the content for a festival and a director who essentially is reduced to being a technocrat who is tasked with having to schedule the committee’s selections.  2. Festivals which have an Artistic Director who is accountable for the overall artistic programme and who may be supported by a non-executive Artistic Advisory Committee comprised of experts.  3. Festivals can have a hybrid model of the above with the

The “So Called” Emerging Black Artist’ is a group exhibition featuring three prominent South African artists; Professor Pitika Ntuli, Mbongeni Buthelezi and Vusi Mfupi at the Constitution Hill, Hillbrow Johannesburg. Curated by Gaisang Sathekge, this well-timed exhibition questions the ‘perpetual emergence’ of black artists in art history by pulling together artists who work within the recycling process to reinterpret discarded objects in order to give them a new life and meaning. Khehla Chepape Makgato visited the exhibition and spoke with the curator and artists involved. Photographs by Khehla Chepape Makgato. According to Sathekge, this group show “addresses the way black artists, within art historical canon, have been stereotyped and their subject matter and style understood only within the framework of terminology such as township art or ‘folk-art’ while their white counterparts dominated and continue to dominate the industry economically.” The resulting exhibition is

In an address to young arts managers in 2017 I said to them: 'if you’re spending your entire marketing budget on posters, banners, handbills and other forms of advertising collateral to promote your shows then you are channeling your company into irrelevance and you are sailing on a sinking ship. You can save your company by moving the marketing budget that you spend on advertising collateral to spending it more on giving the artists, your company and the people who work in it a more human face.' Portrait Illustration of Dr. Ismail Mahomed. Photo Credit: Facebook The budget that you spend on paying an artist to participate in a post-show discussion or a walkabout or a writer to attend an opening night of his play gives you bigger returns on investment than what you spend on glossy street posting or billboard advertising. In very simple words it is called “Audience Engagement Strategy”. Patron loyalty is less dependent on them coming to a show because the show is wid