Festival promotes young artists

Young upcoming artists will get a chance to express themselves at the State Theatre during the eleventh Youth Expressions Festival (YEF).

YEF gives artist who are yet to make their mark in the art world a chance to showcase their talent.

The festival which began in 2008, which is scheduled to takes place from the 16 to 30 of June, brings artists from different categories of art to exhibit and perform.

The annual festival aims to promote up and coming artists as part of the Youth Month celebrations.

“The YEF aims to empower young people while remembering the essence of Youth Month in South Africa. This festival is a celebration of the youth’s creative spirit that remembers the past, while reflecting on the current and interrogating the hopes for tomorrow,” said State Theatre’s Education Youth Children Theatre (EYCT) departmental manager Thabiso Qwabe.

This year there will also be workshops with the Companies Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) on 18 June and South African Revenue Services on 27 June.

Qwabe said the decision to invite the CIPC & SARS was in line with educating the youth on tax compliance and understanding intellectual property laws.

“CIPC is to assist them on company registration and understanding the various types of companies plus information on intellectual property and registration and understanding how it works.”

Qwabe said the aim is to educate and empower creatives on how they can commercialise their artistic talent.

A total of 14 works in dance, drama, comedy, music, poetry and visual arts will be showcased during this year’s YEF.

The performances and exhibitions will explore different topics that affect society such as mental health issues in the dance performance Senseful(Less)Ness. The dance will be performed on the 27 and 28 of June.

Poet Matome “The Ballad Man” Rampedi will perform a session titled To Be Continued… on the 29th of June.

Stage plays that will be performed during the festival are Waiting for Nelson, Mas’kitlana, The Hen That Lost Hawk’s Needle, Foolzeball, Night/Light, Uloyiko, Die Koggelaar and The Trial of Dedan Kimathi.

Visual Artist Patience Phaka will also exhibit her curation What the Eye Might Not See.

Music lovers will be treated to the sounds of musician Amo when she performs the musical titled The Birth of Amogelang.

Tickets for the show can be purchased for R70 at Webtickets online and Pick n Pay stores.