The Arts are an integral part of society, uniting communities and allowing prospective and established artists to express themselves while fostering healthy cultural relations. Taking this further, the upcoming Moses Kotane Arts Festival will offer artists workshops, and mentorships, while also empowering the local community.
“There is so much talent in Morueleng and as the organisers of the Moses Kotane Arts Festival, we felt it practical that we include local artists and service providers at the event. However, rather than simply ending it there, we decided to run a three-day workshop before the festival that empowers artists on how to refine their crafts while leveraging their talents and skills to make a living,” says Keabetswe Mokoena, Festival Co-Founder.
Mokoena says too many South African artists have toiled the soil with their talents, only to be met with poverty during their retirement years.
“It is disheartening to see legends, icons, really talented individuals give us the best of themselves, these people even go on international tours, only for them to die as paupers or begging for handouts on social media. One of the cornerstones of the three-day workshop is to push artists in the right direction. To expose their offerings on a professional platform. And to teach them business acumen and industry longevity and sustainability,” Mokoena said.
Successful attendees of the Artists Workshop will also be afforded the opportunity to be curtain-raisers for some of the main acts during the Moses Kotane Arts Festival. The youth-oriented Artists Workshop will be facilitated by the renowned jazz singer, Sibongile Mngoma, actor Tshepho Maseko and Bongo Maffin’s Stoan.
According to a profile and analysis of the Bojanala Platinum District Municipality, in 2018 the unemployment rate sat at 48,7%, while the labour force participation rate was at 52.4%. Even though the province of North West has one of the highest platinum reserves in the world, most young people are looking at striking their careers outside of the mining space and the Moses Kotane Arts Festival could provide them with the springboard they need.
“Unfortunately, despite all the good the Moses Kotane Arts Festival aims to do, some misinformation has managed to find itself on popular social media sites, about how the Moses Kotane Arts Festival will sideline local acts and service providers. This goes against the very ethos of our founders, sponsors and other stakeholders.
“We respect the communities in which we have the honour of working too much to simply disregard their local offerings. One of our partners, the Raah Foundation, is an entity purely dedicated to local communities and their development. We have made provisions to allow local businesses and artists to showcase their crafts through stalls, and performance art. We are also using local service providers for catering, security, transportation and even DJs to mention but a few,” concludes Mokoena.
The Moses Kotane Arts Festival which is a partnership between the Raah Foundation, Moses Kotane Municipality and the Bagkatla Ba Kgafela Tribal House, looks to be one of the biggest events to kick-start the festive season in the North West, with a strong line-up including Khuli Chana; Oscar Mbo; Vetkoek VS Mahoota; Fifi Cooper; Murumba Pitch and many more.
Date: 3 and 4 December 2022
Venue: Moruleng Stadium, North West
Time: 12h00-00h00
Artists Workshop, (hosted by Sibongile Mngoma, Tsepho Maseko and Stoan)
Date: 30Novermber – 02 December 2022
Venue: Mphebatho Cultural Museum, Moruleng, North West
Time: 09h00 -16h00
Registration Offices: Moses Kotane District Municipality OR Bagkatla Ba Kgafela Tribal House
