Wits Arts and Literature Experience gives arts the edge
March, 29, 2010 – It’s just under two months until the 2010 Wits Arts and Literature Experience (WALE) gets under way – and already the programme is set to make good on WALE’s promise to deliver “arts on the edge”.
Now in its third year, WALE takes place from April 21 to 24 at various venues on the Wits campus, which is situated in the heart of Johannesburg’s Braamfontein precinct.
WALE 2010 will get under way with a bang on April 21. The opening day’s events will include a parade through the main campus and a number of arts performances on the library lawns. In the evening, the official opening address by WALE founder and Dean of Humanities Professor Tawana Kupe will be followed by a full-throttle entertainment programme featuring music, dance, performance poetry and a big-name DJ behind the decks.
A highlight of the four-day arts fest will be performances by Staceyann Chin, an iconic artist and one of the most original voices of her generation. Chin’s memoir about growing up in Jamaica, The Other Side of Paradise, has been lauded by critics and readers alike.
“I’m so thrilled to be coming back to South Africa,” says Chin, who performed at the 2009 Urban Voices Festival to a highly receptive audience. “The country’s breathtaking landscape and the resilient spirit of the people move me to write more relevant work, to speak louder for women’s rights, for children’s rights, for human rights.
“Previous visits have shown me how much my Jamaica has in common with your South Africa; Joburg is a mirror of Kingston, any street in Cape Town could easily be Montego Bay. My memoir, The Other Side of Paradise could easily be the story of a girl in Soweto. Gatherings like WALE helps those of us in the African Diaspora to see a modern reflection of ourselves on the continent all black people call our genetic home.”
Other highlights confirmed for the festival include Othello, which will be staged at the Wits Theatre and directed by John Kani, with Sarah Roberts as production designer.
Two other unmissable Wits Theatre performances are the Greg Homann-directed collaboration between Wits and New York University, Prejudice and Pride, as well as the Gina Schmukler-directed musical, Songs for a New World.
As in previous years, music is a strong feature of WALE’s four-day programme. A unique collaborative performance in the Wits Amphitheatre featuring Jonathan Crossley (guitar) and Justin Badenhorst (drums) from the Wits Music Department, with Rhodes University Music Department head Marc Duby (bass) and American pianist John Fresk is already confirmed.
Literature forms a central part of WALE and this year the University’s highly regarded Wits University Press will use the festival to launch several new book projects, including those by David Dickinson (Sociology Department) and Chris Thurman (English Department). Panel discussions and a book exhibition are also being planned in partnership with Xarra Books and Pan Macmillan.
WALE will play host to the Gauteng premiere of the critically-acclaimed feature documentary Zwelidumile.
“Using interviews with people around the world, this South African documentary recreates the life of artist Dumile Feni, a man who became an exile in 1968 and never knew his child,” according to All Movie Guide. “In 1991, Feni died just before his return to his native country and the long-awaited reunion with his wife and now-grown daughter. Zwelidumile not only explores Feni’s experiences, but it also examines the life of the family he left behind, who will forever define him by his absence.”
Several art exhibitions will be mounted in a part of the programme managed by the Wits Fine Art Department. Among this will be an exhibition of the work of Vincent Baloyi.
A regularly updated programme will be available on a dedicated WALE website, which will be launched in the next few weeks.
Says WALE champion Professor Tawana Kupe, “Our vision is to turn WALE into a premier arts and literature festival that draws people from Joburg, Gauteng, South Africa and the rest of the world – and I think we’ve made an excellent start in years one and two. This year we aim to take WALE to the next level, and we’re working hard at creating a programme that does exactly that, so watch this space!”
For programming details and ticketing information, visit www.wale.co.za or call Levinia Jones on +27 (0)11 717 4607.