Vincent Mantsoe, Gregory Maqoma, Kristi-Leigh Gresse set for Kucheza Afrika Festival 2022
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State Theatre welcomes artists, audiences back after Covid-19 pandemic
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What to expect from the 2021 hybrid Kucheza Afrika Festival
The 2021 Programme of Kucheza Afrika Festival will take place online and at the South African State Theatre (SAST) from 1 to 11 April. This year s programme boasts the dance fraternity s renowned dancers such as Vincent Mantsoe, Lulu Mlangeni, Bailey Snyman, Nicola Haskins, Ignatius van Heerden, Fana Tshabalala, Thulani Chauke, Mdu Nhlapo and more.
Like many other art events across the globe last year, the launch of Kucheza Afrika Festival was postponed due to the life-threatening Covid-19 pandemic. To comply with the pandemic’s health and safety protocols, this year’s festival will be a hybrid of online and live theatre, with selected shows only streaming online while some showcase for both live and virtual audiences.
Prolific Dancer/Choreographer Themba Dredz Mbuli died at the tender age of 33. (Photo: Dance JOMBA!/ Supplied)
Award-winning dancer/choreographer Themba Dredz Mbuli passed away on 18 January after short illness, at the tender age of 33.
A recipient of the 2016 Standard Bank Young Artist Award, Mbuli used his to body to speak to his environment. Born in Zola, Soweto, he co-founded the Broken Borders Arts Project with Thulani Chauke and Fana Shabalala. He died in Cape Town,
where he had co-founded UnMute Dance Company, a platform for artists living with disability.
WATCH|
I first met Themba Dredz Mbuli as a young dancer at Moving Into Dance (now MIDM), in Newtown, Johannesburg, where he was nurtured by dance makers like Sylvia Glasser. In conversation with Themba, it was revealed that he channelled his anger and the challenges of his youth through physical activity. He joined a Sowetan music and drama group as a teen, which ignited his passion for stor