Samanthole Arts Foundation

Everyone who is passionate about Africa has a wish for the continent to be restored to its ancient glory and be portrayed in a positive light it so deserves. The argument that Africa had no  history because its history began with writing and thus with the arrival of the Europeans in our shores  is malicious. A book cover. Pic from Zakes Mda's Facebook page Furthermore, in the late 1800s,  European colonizers propagated the notion of Africa as a 'black continent' and colonialism was celebrated as a civilizing mission carried out by the European missionaries, traders and administrators - all these are but false notions that need to be corrected. What made matters worse for African civilization by Africans was the Berlin Conference convened by first the Berlin chancellor Otto von Bismarck in 1884-85 where Africa was effectively formalised into scrambled pieces. Remembering this conference, Patrick Gathara, award-winning political cartoonist based in Nairobi observe

It is not everyday that jazz and poetry inter-mingle in the open and show-off their poetic jazzy affair at a book launch. Covid19 has impacted the livelihood of so many people including the live performances which most creatives depend on for survival. The night of the 19th November 2021 afforded me the opportunity to attend an Evening of Poetry and Jazz featuring Natalia Molebatsi with Makhosazana Xaba and Friends at Book Circle Capital, 27 Boxes in Melville Johannesburg. The night comprised of musical rendering by The Lex Futshane Trio band including Lex Futshane (bassist), Siphiwe Shiburi (drums), Yonela Mnana (keys) and Themba Mokoena (guitar).    Makhosazana Xaba, Natalia Molebatsi and Sewela Langeni. Pic by Khehla Chepape Makgato "In the history of our BCC it is the first time we have a book launch with live jazz performance," remarked Sewela Langeni the founder and director of Book Circle Capital in her introduction of the evening's gathering. It is int

Good evening everyone! It is a great honour to welcome you all to the launch of a retrospective exhibition of a South African multi-talented cultural worker today at the Polokwane Art Museum presence of such an incredible audience. I particularly like to welcome the family of Avashoni Mainganye, fellow workers in the cultural sector, consumers of our work and the curator of the museum Mr Mokgabudi Amos Letsoalo and his team. I'd like to further extent my heartfelt gratitude to Mr Malose Lekganyane and his team at Polokwane Literary Fair for inclusion of the exhibition item on their 9th Annual festival. I am most grateful that you all made it to this auspicious occasion as we celebrate and honour one of our humble elders in the visual arts landscape from the province. Avashoni Mainganye busy with his sculpture at Polokwane Art Museum in November 2021. Pic: Khehla Chepape Makgato We are here tonight to honour Avhashoni Ntsengeni Mainganye whose clan name is Mundalamo;

One-hander plays are often intimate, forthright and engaging. Great task of cast members efforts is usually concentrated on other performers with a focus directly towards the audience. They present an enormous challenge for the performer, who is tasked with carrying the whole show on his or her back using a mixture of skills such as narration, physical expression, character work, dialogue and even stand-up comedy. It’s acting without a safety net: there are no exits, no fellow actors to rely on, and often little in the way of set or props. Just you, the audience, and pages of text filed in your memory with which to weave some magic. Nine Lives at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg which officially opened last night of 17th Of November is a script of this kind. It is a stagepiece written by Zodwa Nyoni, directed by Diamond Mokoape and starred by Warren Masemola. Warren Masemola, actor. Pic supplied The play tackles issues around immigration and search for belonging. The stor