August 2, 2006
By Lucky Sindane
THE streets of Joburg will be filled with performance troupes and revellers when the second Gauteng Carnival gets underway in September.
The carnival will take place on Saturday, 9 September from 10am through the streets of Braamfontein and Newtown.
Aptly themed Pale Ya Rona (''telling our story'' or ''ours to tell''), the second annual Gauteng carnival is expected to draw over 3000 participants from more than 30 troupes.
Colourful dancers ready to take to the streets of Jozi to create a carnival atmosphere
In preparation for the carnival, design and theme workshops were held in each region including Johannesburg Central, Ekurhuleni, Tshwane, Mogale City and Sedibeng. The workshops included a small carnival representation followed by a conceptualisation of what each region represents.
The workshops involved some 80 artists who shared ideas on what stories they felt the regions could tell. They agreed on the following themes:
Johannesburg: Jozi Maboneng (Jozi, a place of light), Tshwane/Metsweding: Motse Moshate (The royal house of Africa), Ekurhuleni: Kgotso, Pula, Nala (Peace, rain and prosperity), Sedibeng: Tite Ya Batho (The well of the people) and West Rand (Rhythm of the roots).
"This year's carnival is the flagship project of the Creative Industries Strategy which was launched in March this year," said Gauteng MEC for sport, recreation, arts and culture, Barbara Creecy.
"It offers us an ideal opportunity to ensure artistic resources, training and experience in staging a major cultural event are transferred to
communities throughout the province."
The Gauteng department of sport, recreation, arts and culture has set aside an estimated R3 million for this event.
"Carnivals combine performing and visual arts into a celebration of collective identity and community aspiration throughout the world. In Brazil and throughout the Caribbean, carnivals have proved to be major tourist attractions, bringing in millions of dollars in revenue," she said.
The 3,5km carnival route starts from the National School of Arts in Braamfontein on Melle Street, joining De Korte Street. It then turns left into Bertha Street going over the Nelson Mandela bridge and turning right on Jeppe Street. After that, it will turn left on Mirriam Makeba leading onto Blue IQ Park in Newtown.
In 2007 the Gauteng department of sport, arts, culture and recreation will host the International Carnival Conference, and delegates from across the world will observe the Gauteng carnival as a precursor to the event.
"We invite the people of Gauteng to come and revel in the Pale Ya Rona carnival," concluded Creecy.
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