WOMEN'S Day, a celebration of the role of women in both the past and the present, will be celebrated throughout Joburg on Monday, 9 August with a variety of events.
Choose from a powerful line-up at Constitution Hill, the Backstage Aids Benefit Concert, and music, dance and photography at various venues in Newtown.
Celebrations at Constitution Hill
Constitution Hill, which symbolises democracy and the empowerment of our nation, will be hosting four independent but inter-related events on Monday:
The sexual offences awareness week will be launched to invited guests at about 9am, in the atrium of the Women's Jail by a coalition of NGOs and government organisations, to signify the importance of the rights and issues of women and families as embedded in the constitution. The launch will be followed by a four-day seminar, where concerns and issues surrounding sexual violence will be raised.
The Keiskamma Tapestry is a living tapestry that tells the story of the history of the impoverished Eastern Cape from the perspective of women living in the area, and will be on display in the Old Fort atrium. Documenting rich oral tradition and presenting the history from a women's point of view, the tapestry was produced by over 100 women.
There will be three presentations explaining the creation of the tapestry, at noon, at 2pm and at 3.30pm, accommodating 100 people at a time. Two women, who managed the tapestry project, will give a narrative on some of the stories represented in the intricate embroidery and weaving, as well as background on team members.
The 'Ties that bind' exhibition explores the tenuous links that connect us to each other: love, sex, religion, family, companionship and history.
Carol Brown, director of the Durban art gallery, curates Ties that bind, which depicts how the new constitution has allowed expression where apartheid legislation created divisions that wreaked havoc in many lives. Participating artists include Terry Kurgan, Johannes Segogela, Angela Buckland and Jean Brundit.
Tours of the exhibition in the Old Fort atrium will take place at noon, 2pm and at 3.30pm.
Children are invited to join in a programme of events in the Children's Room. The day kicks off at 11.30am with a story told by an ex-inmate of the women's jail, Vesta Smith, whose 21 grandchildren will participate in the event. The rest of the day will include art activities for children, including Zabendaba storytellers.
Various organisations involved in the events will set up stands to showcase their activities and projects, and women buskers will provide entertainment. Traditional food prepared by women from the local community and refreshments will be on sale from 11.30am.
A debate around issues of women's rights in South Africa today, organised by the Wits debating society, will take place in the women's jail Atrium from 2pm until 4pm.
For more information on the events on Constitution Hill, contact 011 403 519.
Women in Arts Festival in Newtown
The Newtown cultural precinct will host the Women in Arts Festival which will feature the best of women's music, craft, photography and more.
The music line-up includes a show featuring Busi Mhlongo, Judith Sephuma and Swazi Dlamini in the Newtown Music Hall at 8pm on Sunday, 8 August. Tickets are R60 and are available at computicket. Further details can be obtained from the organisers at 011 834 1717.
A free music show takes place from 9am to 6pm on Monday, 9 August, at the Mary Fitzgerald Square. This one features Mafikizolo, Karen Zoid and Thandiswa Mazwai. For more information, contact 082 926 3733.
Opening on Friday, 6 August, at 5.30pm at the Bensusan Museum of Photography at MuseuMAfricA in Newtown, 'Is Everybody Comfortable' is a photographic exhibition of selected recent works from 13 women members of the Market Photography Workshop.
The exhibition explores ideas of identity, sexuality, security and poverty from fresh, new voices in photography. The featured photographers are Alexia Webster, Matshepo Motsoeneng, Keorapetse Mosimane, Ntombifuthi Zasekhaya, Vathiswa Ruselo, Refiloe Motsapi, Cariņa Booyens, Zola Gule, Portia Ngwenya, Nontsikelelo Veleko, Phindi Flepu, Zanele Muholi, and Ingrid Masondo.
'Is Everybody Comfortable' is on show until 10 October. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm. For more information, contact the Market Photography Workshop on 011 834 1444.
The Dance Factory presents a collaborative work, entitled '37 Degrees of Fear' directed by Juanita Finestone-Praeg, which features 12 extraordinary woman dance artists celebrating the power of the female species.
The dancers are Athena Mazarakis, Constance Kau, Dada Masilo, Nicola Haskins, Numbulelo Mashiqa, Nonhlanhla Makhatini, Portia Mashigo, Samantha Pienaar, Thoko Seganye, Vishanti Arumugam, Zoey Lapinsky and Zwelethu Sebolai.
'37 Degrees of Fear' is on from 6 August to 8 August only, with performances on Friday and Saturday at 7.30pm and Sunday at 2.30pm. Tickets cost R40 for adults and R20 for students and pensioners, and can be booked through Computicket on 011 340 8000, or the Dance Factory on 011 833 1347.
Backstage Aids Benefit Concert
Across town, Jozi and the fans of e.tv's Backstage will rock together at the Backstage Aids Benefit Concert at the Standard Bank Arena at 4pm on Monday 9 August. The concert will see the entire cast of 'Backstage', South Africa's popular TV soapie, perform on stage with some of SA's trendiest artists.
This much-anticipated concert will feature performers like Mandoza, Danny K, Adila, Arthur, Denim and Mzekezeke, with Percy and East Coast Flava as supporting acts. 'Backstage' characters - Chippa, Duke, Frankie, Ipeleng, Katlego and many others - will perform on stage, and will be filmed live for the programme between 5pm and 7pm.
Funds raised will be donated to the Good Hope Home-based Care in Tembisa and the Ikageng/Itereleng Ministry in Soweto, both of which are managed by committed and compassionate women role models.
Tickets cost R40 for adults, R20 for children under 12, and are available through Computicket on 011 340 8000.
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