'eMzantsi' means 'in the South' in isiXhosa, and the eMzantsi Carnival is all about celebrating the people and culture of Cape Town's south peninsula.
The 2009 eMzantsi Carnival will take place on Saturday 5th December, and as it is the fifth time the annual event has been staged, it seems appropriate to make the theme "The Big 5". But the indigenous animals we aim to celebrate are not lions, giraffes or elephants but our local wildlife: the penguin, the whale, the baboon, the shark - and the leopard toad!
Most excitingly, this year will see the return of the eMzantsi schools programme, with 10 lucky local schools being offered free workshops in carnival percussion skills, recycled costume making, interactive drama and diversity awareness in 5 'twinned' intercultural groups.
Noordhoek Farm Village has proudly supported the Emzantzi Carnival for 5 years and this year is no exception. Our donation this year will be used to help feed the 750 children participating in the carnival! Yes – you read that right 750 kids participating in the Carnival. Makes you realize how big and how festive and how much work has gone into the schools programme which culminates in the carnival itself. Noordhoek Farm Village encourages all residents, friends and visitors to come south on the 5th Dec to watch more than 1000 people from 15 communities across the south peninsula take part in the parade, followed by a free stage show at Sun Valley Green!
Programme of events:
10h00: Parade starts featuring:
· Floats
· Stiltwalkers
· Two Oceans Brass Band
· Deep South Drummers
· Buyambo Marimba
· Steelband project
11h00 – 15h00: Stage Show – Sun Valley Green
· MC – comedian Mark Sampson
· The Quarrymen
· Valley Christian Church Rock Band ‘24’
· Tertia Kind Arts Project dancers
11h00 – 15h00: Other events
· eMzantzi mini-football tournament finals
· eMzantzi basketball exhibition
· food and craft market
Road Closures and Access:
Spectators are advised to park at the Sun Valley Mall and walk down Ou Kaapse Weg to the fourway junction to watch the parade approach from each side of the Kommetjie Road from 10am. The free stageshow, compered by comedian Mark Sampson, runs from 12pm on the Sun Valley green opposite Pick'n'Pay, featuring a wonderful array of local bands, singers and dancers. Toilets and security are provided.
The Kommetjie Road will be partially closed between Masiphumelele and the fourway junction from 9.45am, and traffic delayed along Ou Kaapse Weg until 11.30am. Drivers wishing to get to and from Ocean View and Kommetjie are advised to go earlier or via Red Hill. If you want to go to the Longbeach Mall from Fish Hoek, please use Corsair Road.
Background to the Emzantzi Carnival:
'eMzantsi' means 'in the South' in isiXhosa and the eMzantsi Carnival is all about celebrating life in Cape Town's southern peninsula. The eMzantsi project seeks to enhance awareness of our rich cultural heritage in order to boost both tourism and pride in the valley.
The far South is so often marketed through images of its wonderful wildlife - baboons, whales, penguins - but rarely of its kaliedoscope of wonderful people, which could be its strongest selling point. The eMzantsi Carnival was initiated in 2005 by Sam Pearce of Noordhoek, Alvin Castro of Ocean View and Rodney Ndyalvan of Masiphumelele to draw our diverse communities closer together and help us visualise a shared cultural identity.
The Carnival is the culmination of a year-long community links-building process that encourages people of the South, especially children and youth, to cross boundaries and collaborate with each other's schools, clubs and churches. Around 1500 people from all over the valley join in the colourful parade and stageshow, including minstrels and marimba bands, gumboot dancers and gospel singers, break dancers and belly dancers. The Carnival takes place annually on the first Saturday of December.
The eMzantsi Carnival project, administered by Section 21 NPO the Harlequin Foundation, is a dynamic multi-faceted initiative that seeks to enhance:
· Intercultural and intracultural integration
· Youth and social development
· Reconciliation and diversity awareness
· Environmental and recycling awareness
· Awareness around current challenges to local youth: HIV/AIDS, drugs, xenophobia
· Pride in the south peninsula
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Our dream for 2010 is to take advantage of the World Cup spotlight on South Africa to extend our youth exchange programme to international footballing nations who also celebrate carnival, such as Brazil and the UK. We also aim to expand the Carnival route to include the whole of southern peninsula from Muizenberg to Chapman's Peak. The road is closed once a year for runners and for cyclists, why not once for dancing children celebrating their heritage?!
Posted
Dec 02 2009, 12:21 PM
by
Marketing