Emitting Healing and Social Justice in Elsies River Community Last Saturday!

July 31, 2017

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 atrocities that its people have been experiencing.

Khadija Tracey Heeger (poet)

There was an abundance of talent brought to the occasion in reflection of the themes for the day. Julian Wenn musically protested with his song we are the positive people! and Byron Clarke paid musical tribute to his sense of home in Elsies River and Cape Town. The poets for the day offered useful perspectives too; Dani Petersen's poetry said that “skollies” also have a soul and they too are a product of a script that they are told to follow as people on the receiving end of the various political injustices ('Os het jou kaalvoet performance geniet Dani – is true wat jy se, jy moes oppie Elsies aarde loop om vi 'os te inspire daai dag!), as similarly expressed in Khadija Tracey Heeger's poem titled Citizen Minus. Roche Kester poem Black similarly addressed the script of skin colour which has been internalized by our people over the periods of time.

Roche Kester (Poet)

Later on, the audience was entertained by guitarists Bienyameen and Dawood Camroodien, the Uitsig Rieldansers who performed a traditional dance from the Northern Cape, and finally the Rosa Choir who ended off the program beautifully with trilingual musical renditions, a few which include We Are The World and More Tannie.

And to put the cherry on top of all the abundant talent, the show was also wonderfully brought together by MC's Vernon Rose and Grace Ziegler – which my mother would say is the 'salt of the earth' in Elsies River (Uncle Vernon said he is actually from Bridgetown, but he spoke to the spirit of the Elsies community so lovingly, so we will ma say he is from there!). If there is one thing better than a good line-up of talent, it's an MC who can bring it all together authentically, honouring the talents and purpose of the day with a whole lot of lekker!

Thank you to the CCC team and the acts and performers of the day who hosted this event, and for the passion and regard which you show to the communities which you feel proud about, so that people like us from the broader Cape Town gets perspectives into other parts of our cities. 'Cultsha Kennis' salutes you all with love and gratitude!