October 6, 2006
By Tabisa Mntengwana
MZANSI is hosting its second Diwali Festival in Newtown tomorrow and all Joburgers are invited to celebrate their diversity.
The day promises to be filled with fun for the whole family, and a gathering of people from diverse cultural backgrounds united through music, food and dance. The festival is doubling as the launch of the city's 120th birthday celebrations.
Loads of entertainment is on offer, from retail stores selling all sorts of goodies, to an esoteric fair, dance workshops, a children's art workshop, live performances and a fabulous Bollywood-style street party.
The Newtown Diwali Festival in on Saturday, 7 October from 10am, in the Newtown cultural precinct.
According to Nisha Moodley, the festival director, this year's event promises to be bigger and better than the inaugural one last year, when 25 000 people filled Newtown's streets and venues.
In addition to celebrating the Hindu Festival of Light, the day is also the launch pad for the City's 120th birthday celebrations.
Tomorrow's entertainment line-up includes Kora award winner Kunlé, who is expected to perform some of his up-tempo Afro-jazz and Afro-beat hits; and the Padiachi brothers, Shiva and Shri. The siblings, sons of the late Vella Padiachi of Ranjeni Orchestra, are accomplished musicians and teachers.
The talented Indian classical maestro, Patrick Ngcobo, is also performing. Born in South Africa, Ngcobo was trained in India. He is expected to give the audience a taste of his fusion of kwaito and Indian classical music with his tune, Hamba Malume.
Diwali Festival
(Photo: Newtown Diwali Festival)
"The Newtown Diwali Festival 2006 is a multicultural event and an excuse for us Johannesburgers to show off our diversity," Moodley says.
Laugh along with comedian Leandra Reddy, who takes former Isidingo star and stand-up comedian Krijay Govender on a side-splitting comedy journey. For fashionistas there is a fashion show featuring the latest Indo-fusion designs, while over at Museum Africa kids are the focus at an Indian-themed art workshop for children. They can try their hands at beadwork and painting clay lamps.
As well as the Diwali Festival, Museum Africa is hosting an exhibition tracing the development of Market Square, from produce market to cultural precinct, as part of the city's 120th birthday celebrations. The exhibit opened earlier this week. And the tenth Poetry Africa festival kicks off at 6pm at the museum, featuring about 30 poets from a dozen countries, including the popular SlamJam.
Because of the large number of people expected at the festival and for security reasons, Jeppe and Bree streets, between Henry Nxumalo and Ntemi Piliso streets in Newtown, will be closed to traffic from 6am on Saturday, 7 October until 10pm on Sunday. Motorists are advised to use other alternative routes.
"Metro police officers will be scattered around patrolling the area," says metro police spokesperson Edna Mamunyane. "People coming to the festival will be safe."
Public parking areas are open at the Market Theatre, the Bassline and the open ground opposite Brickfields. There is also street parking in Newtown.
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