Cultsha Kennis

MC Vernon Rose with Cultsha Kennis  What happens when you put music, dance, poetry, people and vetkoek together in a community that is constantly overpowered by the social ills of our time? A revolution, that's what you get! This was proven to be true last weekend at the Concert for Healing and Social Justice in Elsies River, Cape Town. Residents, visitors and entertainers from  Elsies River, the surrounding Northern Suburbs as well as the broader Cape Town gathered in celebration of healing and social justice through music and spoken word. Razak Johnson and Byron Clarke - preshow!   The concert took place at the Shawco Hall in Elsies River, and was hosted by the Cape Cultural Collective and artists from the Northern Suburbs in Cape Town. This space was also created in love and remembrance of Courtney Peters, a 3-year old who was murdered recently in the area, and to remind the public that Elsies River is so much more than the gang violence and atroci

Twee weke gelede het 'Cultsha Kennis' by die Book Lounge in Kaapstad gekuier saam met ander lesers, skrywers en akademies gemeenskap om Jolyn Phillips se nuwe gedigboekkie 'radbraak' te vier. 'radbraak' is 'n kolleksie van Afrikaanse gedigte wat geskryf is as 'n follow-up van haar kortverhaalbundel Tjieng Tjang Tjerries and Other Stories wat in 2016 gepubliseer was ('os is excited om daai een ook te lees, Jolyn!).  Al hoe ken 'os vir Jolyn oor die jare as 'n skrywer en akademies persoon, 'radbraak' was soos 'n time-majien wat vir 'os terug vat na haar vorige lewensrole, soos wanneer sy varkvis en bokkie polony by die deli gesny't. Ons het ook nog van haar familielede leer ken, soos haar neef in die tweede hoofstuk van “kronieke van 'n plaasjapie in die stad” wie se abdas sy moet nie breek nie (Jolyn, hoekom het jy nie gese dat jy familie het in Athlone nie? Jy kan mos by 'os kom gekeuier't!).

Though 'Cultsha Kennis' is not unfamiliar with the nooks, crannies and alleys of the Mother City, there are still occasions when we gain new perspective on our hometown.  One of these occasions was at the Baxter Theatre on Tuesday night when we went to watch Soli Philander's 'Nice Coat/Lekker Jas'. We took a seat at the Golden Arrow Studio (that venue brings memories of drama rehearsals with Sithi@Baxter in 2006!) overlooking a backdrop of the Table Bay harbour, when Soli arrives on stage as a gaatjie in a white coat ready to usher us on a ride through his version of Cape Town. The show was vocally executed, with an interesting use of rhyming couplets that included some lekker Kaaps commentary (we waited for the 'passion gap' jokes, but it never came!). In a space of 70-minutes the audience vicariously travelled to all of the Mother City; from the Atlantic Sea board, to the Cape Flats and the surrounding routes outside of Cape Town borders.

'Cultsha Kennis' is still buzzing with laughter after watching the hilarious Sne Dlala take to the stage with his latest comedy show called iChameleon. iChameleon is playing at the Baxter Theatre until Saturday 8 th July (you have 2 more days to book!), where Sne hilariously reminds us of how we all tend to blend in with life's scenarios like a chameleon - like when we try to be 'white' at Woolies or when we try to be cute to please our partners. Just when I told my friend Shaun, my friend and fellow blogger who accompanied me to the event, that I don't want to be picked for audience participation... Sne appears with a penny whistle and a stage decorated with different boxes – some brown, some in colour. The message was thought provoking – basically, don't be a doos – and was very cleverly pulled off with sound effects that make you feel like you're at a Boys II Men concert. Yes, I was hanging on every sound! Like Shaun