Freedom’s Child-Artscape Women’s Humanity Festival
Celebrating Women's Day and Women's Month, the 8th Women's Humanity Arts Festival will take place at the Artscape Theatre Centre from Wednesday 6 August and ending on Women's Day on Saturday 9 August 2014, and one of the four Artscape Arena performances that will form part of the Festival is Freedom's Child.
The show was born out of a need to pay homage to one of South Africa's greatest literary activists, James Matthews. Melanie Scholtz, Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz 2010 went on a soul stirring journey, marrying poetry and jazz by using the words of James Matthews as her muse for Freedom's Child.
The album was written over two years and was first performed in 2011. Recorded in 2011, thanks to the generous support of the British Council, it was produced by Mark Fransman, fellow Standard Bank Award recipient. The album also features acclaimed British saxophonist, Soweto Kinch as well an array of South Africa's finest jazz musicians.
The collaboration "serves to highlight and document our history as a people," says Scholtz. The album is named after a poem in the collection Cry Rage which was banned in the 1970s.
The album will be brought to life on Saturday 9 August at 15h00 at the Arena, Artscape. In the band will be Mark Fransman (piano), Brydon Bolton (double bass), Kevin Gibson (drums), and Justin Bellairs (alto saxophone).
The album and the second edition of James Matthew' book will be on sale at Artscape during the festival.
The theme of the 2014 festival is Humanity and the objective this year is to celebrate and salute those women who actively strive to better their own lives and the lives of countless other women in our society today. The Artscape Women's Humanity Arts Festival is Artscape's response to highlight the lack of "humanity" which marginalised groups face on a daily basis in South Africa, with particular emphasis on women and the disabled.
The Festival brings together a wide variety of events with a programme crammed with opportunities to celebrate being a woman in Cape Town. Prepare to be enthralled with world-class stage productions and empowering workshops. Song and poetry, art exhibits, book launches, a ground breaking launch of a website specifically designed for disabled women plus a women's humanity walk add up to an empowering week with something for everyone, and to which everyone is invited. Positive and uplifting, the programme is a kaleidoscope of events reflecting the Artscape ethos and focusing firmly on women's role in society.
Bookings at Computicket.
Date: 09 August 2014Time: 15:00 - 16:30
Venue: Artscape Theatre, Cape Town
Cost: R80