October 24, 2005
By Tshepiso Seopa
MASSES of revellers thronged the streets of Newtown when the rainbow nation got together to celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, on Saturday, 22 November. Diwali is Hindu new year.
The festivities marked the first time the City had hosted a Diwali celebration. And most Joburgers were thrilled with the experience.
Several venues in Newtown were part of the activities. Food, clothing, toys and loads of other goodies were on sale in Mary Fitzgerald Square; there were art workshops at MuseumAfrica and an esoteric fair at the Bus Factory.
The dancers
A host of other happenings also took place in the square, including a fashion show by University of Johannesburg students and dance performances by community cultural groups.
"The crowd is proof that the spirit of Newtown is happening," an excited Nisha Moodley said on the day. Moodley was the project co-ordinator of the Newtown Diwali Festival.
"A number of people in the city are eager to learn and know about other cultural groups; the attendance of people who are not Indians proves that," she said.
"I also want to thank the public and various communities, and everyone who worked behind the scenes and contributed to this event and its success. I hope to build [it into] an annual Newtown Diwali Festival and look forward to continued success."
Moodley explained that the media campaign had begun three months before the event could be secured because the organisers had to be sure that people would attend.
"The publicity made sure that the event would happen."
A lot of people had raised issues of safety and were sceptical of the venue, Moodley said. "Some asked why we had to take it to Newtown when we could have taken it to Lenasia or the Oriental Plaza in Fordsburg."
However, as the arts and cultural hub of Johannesburg, the organisers believed that Newtown was the ideal venue.
Diwali's messages of peace, joy, happiness, splendour and brightness were taken to heart by festival-goers, and the day was free of incident.
"Johannesburg is a city made up of many cultures but one nation; Diwali is proof that [it] is winning the cultural war and that people recognise and respect all the cultures in it," said Councillor Prema Naidoo, the mayoral committee member for health.
"The event has been a great success. We need to have a post-mortem and improve on any mistakes that we might have made. It has great potential of becoming an annual event in the City's calendar. The spirit of Diwali is indeed happening."
By evening, the number of people at the festival had at least tripled in anticipation of the Bollywood street bash. Mary Fitzgerald Square was chockablock with Jozi's party people, all wanting to be rocked by DJs from Lotus FM.
Matebello Motloung of Randburg said, "I have attended Diwali festivals in Durban before and I have always enjoyed myself. It's a fun place to be. I think that the organisers did a good job; I shopped and enjoyed myself."
Matshidiso Maponyane of Braamfischer said, "My intention was to go shopping at the Oriental Plaza, but when I saw that a lot of people had gathered here, I wanted to see for myself what was going on.
"I enjoyed myself and ended up doing my shopping here instead of at the plaza. I also took my children to the arts workshops. I think I will be back next year."
Kaylin Bowles of Eldorado Park was there for the party. "We just wanted a place where we could have fun and enjoy ourselves and we came here. I think the experience is a good one, listening to the DJs play new tunes. It's an adventure man."
The Diwali Festival was hosted by the City of Johannesburg in partnership with Johannesburg Housing Company, the Gauteng Indian Dance Alliance, the Johannesburg Development Agency, the arts and culture department, the Newtown cultural precinct, the High Commission of India and the Consulate-General of India.
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