Artscape Women’s Humanity Festival

Artscape Women’s Humanity Festival celebrates milestones of courage and strength
Artscape Theatre is the place to be this women’s month. Now in its 17th year, during the month of August the Theatre Centre on Cape Town’s Foreshore has been the focal point for women’s empowerment and the arts with the Artscape Women’s Humanity Festival recalling and celebrating the boldness and courage of the 20 000 women who marched against the pass laws and racial oppression on 9 August back in 1956.

With this year’s theme, MILESTONES: Celebrating, Supporting, Empowering Women of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, it promises to be yet another special treat not be missed.

Three icons will be celebrated this year as symbols of courage and strength: the late Cissie Gool, first black female advocate admitted to the Cape Bar marks 100 years of Women in Law in South Africa. Fatima Dike, well-known playwright from Langa and the first black South African woman to have a play published and performed, celebrates over half a century in the industry. Lastly, we honour world renowned writer, storyteller and author of countless books, Sindiwe Magona on her 80th birthday with two books recently published in her honour.

But the Artscape Women’s Humanity Festival, hosted in association with Woman Zone and the Suidoosterfees, really is for everybody. With gender-based violence on the rise, as a society we must all make every effort to address and change cultural beliefs, unfair religious practices, hurtful language and behaviour that continue to dehumanise and objectify women. The Women’s Humanity Festival also embraces the LGBTQ A+ community. ‘AbFab’ (Absolutely Fabulous) stories, for instance are about embracing yourself as a human being. The Women’s Humanity Festival especially embraces persons with disability who are so often ‘invisible’, “because,” says Marlene le Roux, CEO of Artscape, “their lives matter too”.

The highlight of the Festival remains the all-inclusive, Women’s Humanity Walk. Taking place, as always, on National Women’s Day, 9 August, this year the route does a circuit around the historic Foreshore precinct, starting and finishing on the Artscape piazza and symbolising women’s role in demanding peace and justice. Everyone – women, men and children – are invited to make a bold statement by bringing banners of their organisations and wearing the clothes of their professions. The route will pass by three women-significant statues and there will be poetry readings in front of each. There will be a range of exciting activities on the day (and indeed throughout the month) with stallholder services, music and performance. “NGOs, community organisations, churches, mosques – all faiths and cultures are welcome” says le Roux, “come and join the Women’s Humanity Walk to show your support for women and let us celebrate our collective, united humanity!”

Also be on the lookout for a special concert by the internationally acclaimed Cape Flats hip-hop star, Dope Saint Jude, with three EPs to her name, on 9 August. Born in Elsies River as Catherine Saint Jude Pretorius, she began her career as a drag king, soon moving to producing and performing her own music which she describes as a soundtrack for feminist inclusivity, acceptance and empowerment. She has also been noted for bringing a “queer” edge to the South African hip-hop scene.

The Festival also remembers iconic women who passed on in the last year: Gloria Bosman, Dr Latozi ‘Madosini’ Mpahleni, struggle activist Blanche la Guma and Kimendhri Pillay, senior manager at the New World Foundation, a longstanding stakeholder of the Festival, and well-known poet, Primrose Mwebi. Special tribute will be paid to the all-women hip-hop group Godessa who painted a portrait of their experiences as coloured women living in the Western Cape, and the late Jo-Ann Petersen, a former Artscape colleague who helped introduce the hip-hop genre at the theatre.

A few teasers of this year’s programme:

• 1 August: Exhibition in the Marble Foyer including Karen Bester’s digital She Had a Name.
• 3 August and 5 August: My Kroon se Krank (drama) by Veronique Jephtas (boasting a Slurpie
  Prize at the 2023 KKNK Kanna Awards) and Lynthia Julius.
• 5 August: Interview and interaction celebrating veteran playwright Fatima Dike.
• 6 August: Knit & Ntater – Stitch-Along, in aid of NOAH Homes for the elderly. Donations of
  wool or scarves welcome.
• 8 August: 1000 Women celebrating 20 years, with music by Women Unite Marimba Band.
• 9 August, National Women’s Day: Stalls; interfaith prayers, music by the Cape Whalers Field
  Band; opening address by Marlene le Roux and Judge Rehana Parker; Women’s Humanity Walk
  with poetry performance by Elzana October, Diana Ferrus and Lebo Mashifane; performances
  by Jazzart, Cape Town City Ballet, South Roots International and ZipZap Circus, and a special
  concert by the internationally acclaimed Cape Flats hip-hop star, Dope Saint Jude. FMR radio
  will broadcast a special hour-long Woman’s Show produced and presented by Woman Zone.
•  9 and 11 August: Do Not Fear The Past: A Mother’s Words, commemorating 30 years since the
  murder of Amy Biehl, will also be staged in the Artscape Arena on Wednesday, 9 August and
  Friday 11 August.
• 12 August: Book launch of W is for Witness by Karen Lazar. Meeting of The Story Club
  presented by Balisa Nathi.
• 14 – 19 August: He had it coming by Mike van Graan, performed by Kim Blanche Adonis.
• 26 August: Launch of two books recently released in honour of Sindiwe Magona marking her
  80 years: I Write The Yawning Void and Sindiwe’s Gift. A presentation by I see U young
  women’s mentoring programme.
• 27 August: FMR concert at Guga S’thebe in Langa

The Artscape Women’s Humanity Festival is made possible with the support from the City of Cape Town, Provincial Government Western Cape and the National Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.

Issued on behalf of Artscape: for more details and to book visit www.artscape.co.za | www.artscape.co.za/events
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