Black Labone is a Tshwane arts movement that takes place every Thursday at the Provincial Theatre and the Folklore Festival was founded three years ago.
Kicking off the Folklore Festival, festival founder and director Pilani Bubu will open the annual festival at Black Labone as the Tshwane Arts Movement celebrates its seventh anniversary at the State Theatre.
The cooperation between the two movements took three years to come to fruition.
“I've been in discussions with Philani for the past three years and I never imagined it would end up like this. We always thought Black Labone would have a stage at Folklore, but never thought Folklore would have a stage at Black Labone,” Black Labone organizer Izza said in an interview. Citizen.
Black Labone is a Tshwane arts movement that takes place every Thursday at the Provincial Theatre and the Folklore Festival was founded three years ago.
Previously the Folklore Festival took place over a single day, but this year's Folklore Festival will be held over 30 days in three cities to mark 30 years of democracy, with the first stop being Black Labone in Tshwane.
“We approached Black Labone three years ago because we started from the community. The folklore community is what we're promoting. We wanted to have a cross-city feel rather than one big festival,” Bubu said. Citizen.
“…And what I like about Black Labone [is] This event, which is a self-organized gathering of musicians and locals every Thursday, is a great way to see how they managed to produce such a rich lineup and show, and how they adhere to certain African values.”
Also read: Black Labone: Pretoria artists' residence celebrates sixth anniversary
she spoke to the magazine on Wednesday at the National Arts School, where this year's festival officially launched.
At its core, the Folklore Festival focuses on storytelling, intergenerational dialogue and showcasing Indigenous knowledge systems through a variety of art forms including music, poetry, literature and dance.
Family-friendly gatherings are aimed at reconnecting the community in August and September.
Attendees can expect a multidisciplinary experience including concerts on the main stage, workshops, a book fair and a special kids' area with drum circles and educational activities.
Related article: State Theatre opens doors to Black Labone after African Beer Emporium closes
Curated by Black LaBone's Bubu and her team, the Folklore Stage will feature poets and musicians. “We're the organisers of this, we're sponsoring the stage and the set-up, and we have a specific interface with the artists,” Bubu said.
“It's very soulful in the sense that we're not doing it for capital gain. For me, the intersection of folk and poetry theater is a powerful addition to different genres of music culture, and I'm happy that Iza and the team have now found this one avenue that we can create together.”
“It's great to work with Pirani. She's someone the industry needs. I think it's really interesting to be able to be a part of a program like this, 30 days in three cities and have Black LaBone there as well.”
This will be the first Earth Day celebration to be held at the State Theatre – following the closure of entertainment venue African Beer Emporium (ABE) late last year, the South African State Theatre (SAST) took over hosting the weekly event and has been going strong ever since.
The Black Labone Theatre typically draws between 500 and 800 people on a typical Thursday and at least 2,000 for its annual Earth Day celebration, but Isa said he was confident the theater would be able to accommodate the expected large crowds.
“We only had 1,800 people registered, but then we had more people come in and we estimate just under 2,000 came last year. I know the State Theatre is working hard to accommodate as many people as they can,” Isa said.
NOW READ: Iconic Pretoria venue African Beer Emporium to close after eight memorable years in business
