Samanthole Arts Foundation

As you walk into the Mannie Manin Theatre, at the Market Theatre in Newtown, Johannesburg, you are taken on an expedition of the late Brenda Fassie’s music. Fassie was a larger-than-life singer who had several nicknames. Her fans usually called her ‘MaBrrr’, but some referred to her as ‘Madonna of the Townships’ or ‘the Queen of African Pop because of her stimulating stage act, offstage frolics and vibrant personality meant that she regularly appeared on the pages of local newspapers, just like the Madonna of America who was a female outlandish pop singer who used flashy shock to promote herself as a brand, so is Fassie in Africa. The preset music is Brenda’s hit song Istraight Lendaba which was released in 1992 and m ost of her albums became multi-platinum sellers in South Africa. Here are some lyrics from her song I straight Lenda   Indaba yam istraight  Ayifuni ruler  Kanti wena ung'number bani  Andifuni naks! No doubt that she was "f ierce,

The Human Rights Day, on 21 March would be meaningless if children and the youth were not included in celebrating this important day for every citizen, for it is a day enshrined in the Constitution of South Africa for a restoration of human dignity to our people. I amen thralled by the gesture of the municipality to extend the invitation for me speak as part of the Human Rights Day Art Exhibition celebrations. Worth mentioning here, is the ability and resilience of the council to include the arts, through the young people’s exhibition, to commemorate the occasion. The gesture brings hope not only for the arts to prosper but for the society to reflect on its own socio-political make-up. The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) is fast becoming a leader in arts development and youth empowerment initiatives around Gauteng Province with one of the most important visual arts competitions, Thami Mnyele Fine Arts Awards, for the young and upcoming visual artists and the Ekurhuleni Arts Devel

“Art is about a journey, an exploration of something that is new and relevant to me” say Sue Martin, a South African artist working primarily in mixed media and contemporary styled prints and paintings. This body of work layers oil paint onto translucent handmade paper into which vintage maps and archival images and plants are embedded. Martin is exhibiting her 32 pieces of painting varying in size at Toto Gallery. AFRICA TABULA, Oil pigment on hand made paper with embedded map, 84 x 58,  In Sue Martin’s work, we see a primary concern of movement and migration, with the impact of the so called civilization upon them, with the African workers in the fields and traders moving about, with laborers, servants and location. She maps for us, journey of migrants in their exodus quest for better life. Her work becomes a very interesting embodiment that questions ‘original citizenry’ which in this day and age does not exist. People have, over a period of time, belonged to universe rat

The Meeting at The Market Theatre, Newtown Johannesburg ‘The Meeting’ defined as ‘a situation when two or more people meet, by chance or arrangement’- this is truly a meeting not to be missed by theatre goers around Johannesburg. Penned by American playwright, Jeff Stetson and directed by the Artistic Director at Market Theatre, James Ngcobo. The Meeting is a thought-provoking masterpiece which does not only celebrate the Black History Month, but is also affording humankind a reflection and retrospection of the self. Based on a fictional meeting between the two towering figures, Malcolm X (played by Brendon Daniels) , the Islamic Minister and a lawyer and Dr. Martin Luther King Jnr (played by Aubrey Poo), the civil rights activist and minister, in the African-American history of the 20 th Century, it fits well for The Market Theatre to play host of this historical production, for it has become an institutional mecca of  storytelling in Southern Africa. Black History s

The setup of the play is very unusual, even to the eye accustomed to theatre appreciation, in that there are two lights dancing lazily atop – with three screens installed above the stage. The audience filled the recently named Laager Theatre in the honour of Mannie Manin, the co-founder of The Market Theatre. When Swallows Cry is a stage piece written by Mike Van Graan and Lesedi Job makes a directorial debut. This play takes on the shape brilliance – fiercely scripted, luminously performed and intensely directed. Image Taken from The Market Theatre Website When Swallows Cry is a stage piece that tells different stories from three different continents. Here you are confronted with turbo-charged realities most Africans face when traveling to Europe and America, where they are subjected to ethnic profiling in the little room insider border control, here you are able to witness grown up people, especially from Africa, being interrogated to tears, whereas Europeans and Americ