Arts and culture

National tshisa nyama day

For many township residents, Heritage Day means a good braai, and there is no shortage of popular braai spots in Khayelitsha and Nyanga, a GroundUp team found.

Joyce Xi and Pharie Sefali

News | 23 September 2014

Heritage Day: is it a cultural event or just a chance to have fun?

Should we spend Heritage Day celebrating our culture or is it okay just to have fun? Young people interviewed by GroundUp had different views on the subject.

Pharie Sefali

Opinion | 23 September 2014

Celebrate Global Female Condom Day

As we celebrate the second Global Female Condom Day on 16 September 2014, I join the celebrations with a wide smile and confidence, writes Nokhwezi Hoboyi.

Nokhwezi Hoboyi

News | 16 September 2014

Young dancer gets scholarship but has no funds to stay in US

Local dancer Aviwe November will soon be heading to the United States where he has been awarded a two-year scholarship with the Alonzo King LINES Ballet in San Francisco.

Barbara Maregele

News | 12 September 2014

The Greatmore Long Walk Project empowers young artists

Established in 1998, and located in Woodstock, Greatmore Studios is a dynamic environment in which South African artists and international visitors co-exist. The studios have played an essential role in the career development of many highly successful South African artists.

Tariro Washinyira

News | 11 September 2014

Mannenberg duo teach more than music

In a classroom at Phoenix Secondary School in Mannenberg, GroundUp spoke to Zakie Johnson and Aziza Davids. They are skilled participants working for the Community Work Programme, a poverty relief government initiative that provides a job safety net for the unemployed. The average daily rate is R63,18.

Katy Scott

News | 10 September 2014

Things look up for township DJs

More DJs are being recruited from our local townships to showcase their talents on international stages, thanks to organisations such as Bridges for Music and Redbull. However, it seems as though Cape Town itself is not so accommodating.

Zethu Gqola

News | 8 September 2014

The Warongx of Khayelitsha

Despite the positive role Khayelitsha band Warongx and their Khayelitsha Music Academy play in the community, official and formal support for them is largely absent.

Nicholas Ashby

News | 4 September 2014

The slow rise of the female DJ

There are very few top female DJs in the official charts, but things are changing; being a DJ is no longer a boy’s club. For Women’s Month, Zethu Gqola speaks to two Cape Town trailblazers, DJs Sideshow and DJ Ruthy Pearl, on what it means to be female on the decks.

Zethu Gqola

Feature | 28 August 2014

Amakrwala

Young Xhosa men are welcomed back by the community after spending a month undergoing initiation and circumcision in the open veld in Philippi. It was on a Friday and mostly older brothers and young children cheered on the three young men at New crossroads, Nyanga. The women waited patiently at the family home, preparing food and peeling vegetables, while the elders chatted and drank African beer waiting to share words of wisdom with the new men.

Masixole Feni and Hugo Bobeheman

News | 21 August 2014

Women who beat the odds: Langa’s Nomzamo Mbete

72-year-old Nomzamo Mbete is determined to do her bit to help young township girls through dance.

Pharie Sefali

News | 21 August 2014

Amakrwala

Young Xhosa men are welcomed back by the community after spending a month undergoing initiation and circumcision in the open veld in Philippi. It was on a Friday and mostly older brothers and young children cheered on the three young men at New crossroads, Nyanga. The women waited patiently at the family home, preparing food and peeling vegetables, while the elders chatted and drank African beer waiting to share words of wisdom with the new men.

Masixole Feni and Hugo Bobeheman

News | 21 August 2014

Do big electronic dance music festivals spread the love?

From Miami’s supercharged Ultra Music festival to Rocking the Daisies, Cape Town has become home to some of the highest grossing music festivals in the country. Our music journalist, Zethu Gqola, takes a look at how, if at all, four of the biggest festivals have benefitted struggling communities in and around Cape Town.

Zethu Gqola

Opinion | 20 August 2014

I am a sex worker …

Sex Workers Education and Advocacy Taskforce (SWEAT) has staged a photo exhibition at its head office in Observatory, Cape Town, aimed at the ignorance and prejudice that comes with being labelled a sex worker.

Simbonile Mkwambi

News | 20 August 2014

Women who beat the odds: Khayelitsha’s Nokuthula Sibaba

Thanks to a successful woman, people in Khayelitsha don’t have to go to a mall to buy pizza - they can go to a pizza stand in Litha Park.

Pharie Sefali

News | 20 August 2014

Women who beat the odds: Masiphumelele’s Kwa aunty

If you live in Masiphumelele you will know Nongoloza’s Braai Place, or Kwa aunty, as some call it. You probably know the owner and she probably knows you too by name.

Zintle Swana

News | 18 August 2014