Submissions still open for Wale

Wits alumni, staff and students can submit their work for the Wits Art and Literature Experience, which has a full programme this year.
ALL staff, students and alumni of the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) are invited to submit their most creative work to showcase at the Wits Art and Literature Experience (Wale) from 9 to 12 May.

Professor Tawana KupeWALE founder Professor Tawana KupeWale 5.0, so named because the festival is celebrating its fifth year, has firmly embedded itself in Joburg’s cultural calendar by presenting only the best in dramatic arts, film, music, literature, theatre and dance. This year, alumni, staff and students from all artistic backgrounds are being urged to don their thinking caps and create their submissions under the theme “90 Years of Creativity”.

“The Wale 5.0 programme will offer a heady mixture of upcoming and established talent, as well as the introduction of new and cutting edge artistic works,” says the festival’s publicist, JT Communication Solutions.

A full programme with more than 40 different offerings will provide an event for every taste, ranging from the carnival and daily concerts to book launches and roundtable discussions. “For Wale 5.0 the emphasis is on further embedding a tradition of celebrating arts and culture, and providing our students and society with balanced knowledge of the world,” says the Wale founder, Tawana Kupe.

“Wits is a public university and by maximising the utilisation of public spaces, further contributes to the democratisation of art,” he says. “Wale as an annual event adds choice to the cultural landscape of Johannesburg, Africa and the world. Interfacing with the city and public access is crucial to the success of Wale.”

Kicking off the festival is the carnival, which starts at 12noon on 9 May at Library Gardens on East Campus. Winding its way through Braamfontein and Parktown, the carnival will commemorate 90 years of achievement at Wits. The whole city is invited to join in the celebrations, and watch the procession of students, alumni, dancers, drummers and floats created by Wits residences.

Art museum
Wits Art MuseumWits Art Museum is set to openWits Art Museum will finally open, with the stakeholder launch being held on 10 May alongside an exhibition of African art called WAM! Seeing Stars.

Also on offer will be the inaugural Khabi Mngoma memorial lecture on 11 May in the Wits Main Theatre at 7pm. The lecture will examine the influence of the late musician, academic and cultural activist, Mngoma.

It will be presented by Dr Reuel Khoza, the author and non-executive chairperson of Nedbank, and feature a conversation and response to the lecture by Sipho Nzimande, a former student of Mngoma’s, and singer Sibongile Khumalo, one of Mngoma’s daughters.

There will also be a performance by the Gauteng Choristers and a photographic exhibition in the foyer of the Wits Downstairs Theatre will wrap up the event. The exhibition, called the Life and Times of Khabi Mngoma, will be curated by Bongi Dhlomo. “[It] will show previously unseen pictures and offer a rare personal glimpse into the life of Khabi Mngoma,” according to JT Communication Solutions.

A full line-up with details of activities and events will be released by Wale organisers once the programme has been finalised.