Fixtures for 10thGrand Finals of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge

The fixtures for the tenth Grand Finals of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge at St Mary’s D.S.G., have been announced.

Ten teams will take to the turf, promising an action-packed hockey weekend on 23 and 24 July, 2022. Since February, the challenge has travelled around to ten regions in KZN, producing ten regional winners. Each of these champions will get the honour of representing their area at the ultimate conclusion of this year’s tournament, the Grand Finals.

The defending champion, St Mary’s D.S.G. and host school heads up Pool A. They are joined by St John’s D.S.G. (PMB Central Regional); Our Lady of Fatima (DBN North Regional), and two newcomers Hoërskool Pionier (Northern KZN Regional) and Domino Servite (uMvoti and oThukela Regional).

In Pool B, 2019 silver medallist, St Anne’s College (PMB North Regional) will meet 2019 bronze medallist, Durban Girls’ College (DBN Central Regional); King Edward High School (uGu and Sisonke Regional); Grantleigh College (North Coast Regional) and Kuswag Hoërskool (DBN South Regional).

On Saturday 23 July, twenty pool games will be played, with games lasting 22 minutes one way. Starting the day off, defending champs, St Mary’s D.S.G. take on Domino Servite in their inaugural Grand Final. Points in the pool games will be 4 for a win, 2 for a draw with goals, 1 for a goalless draw and nil for a loss.

Sunday 24 July sees the cross-pool play-offs and medal games, where teams will have 30 minutes to craft their magic on the turf, with a speedy change over after fifteen minutes. If the scores are level in any of the playoff games, an 8 second penalty shoot out where three players from each team will head to the spot to try and claim victory for their team.

All games will be livestreamed on SuperSport Schools mobile app or website.

For more info you can like the tournament’s Facebook page or follow on Instagram.

Father’s Day Adventure Walk with Green Corridors’ Mgababa Adventures and Expert Botanist

 Father’s DayAdventure Walk with Green Corridors’ Mgababa Adventures and Expert Botanist

A special Father’s Day Adventure Walk will be hosted by experienced nature guide Thulas Luthuli at his Green Corridors’ Mgababa Adventures site at the Mnini Dam  this Sunday, 19 June from 8am to 11am.

Thulas Luthuli at his Green Corridors’ Mgababa Adventures site at the Mnini Dam explains traditional use of a plant on his guided walks to a guest.

This 4km Adventure Hike along a rocky river trail which feeds into the Mnini Dam, together with Thulas (whose homestead is in this area) and expert botanist Sithembiso Blessing Majoka promises a delightful mix of fascinating insights into the fauna and flora,  and the rich cultural history of the area.

Sithembiso Blessing Majoka - expert botanist will host the walk with nature guide Thulas Luthuli of Mgababa Adventures

Sithembiso Blessing Majoka who will share his extensive knowledge of the indigenous plants of the area, gained much of his knowledge working for South African National Biodiversity Institute encoding plant specimens and then went on to become a Field Ranger for the EThekwini Municipality. He is not only passionate about the environment, specifically indigenous plant identification and bird conservation, but he is also an incredible wildlife photographer.

His amazing work with bird conservation also won him the 2021 BirdLife South Africa Owl award which recognizes the valuable contributions that people make to the conservation of South Africa's birds and their habitats.

Hiking and walking around Mnini Dam with Mgababa Adventures

Don't miss out on this fantastic opportunity to walk alongside Sithembiso as he unfolds the story of Mgababa Adventures' rich landscape, which was voted by SDA Adventures as their favourite rocky river trail, Mgababa Adventures is an untouched treasure for hikers.

The hike costs R200 per person and there are limited places. The Mnini Dam site is an easy 30 minutes from Durban’s CBD.

Green Corridors also has a number of other sites to visit on Father’s Day – check out the website on https://durbangreencorridor.co.za/

To book contact: 078 702 0618 or frontdesk@greencorridor.co.za.

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World Environment Day 4x4 Excursion – Valley of 1000 Hills

Media Release

World Environment Day 4x4 Excursion – Valley of 1000 Hills

Sunday, June 5 is World Environment Day, and well-known 4x4 enthusiast and instructor Travis Duggan, is putting his money where his mouth is. He has gathered a group of 4x4 enthusiasts to join him in assisting Sibusiso Shangase, owner and manager of the picturesque Green Corridors’ Mqeku Picnic Site in the Valley of 1000 Hills to rebuild and clean-up the site left devastated by the recent floods.

Travis Duggan and Sibusiso Shangase at Mqeku Picnic Site in Valley of 1000 Hills

This is one of Duggan’s DO GOOD events in which he leads a 4 x 4 tour through the Valley of 1000 Hills with 50% of the proceeds going towards the rebuild of the Mqeku Site.

“Sunday is World Environment Day, and what better way to celebrate than to help this green space get back to a fun, recreational space where families and  friends can enjoy the outdoors,” enthuses Duggan. “The site is hugely popular with the SA 4x4 community, and we want to help him get it back to the incredibly gorgeous site it was prior to the floods.”

Mqeku - a Green Corridors Pop-Up Camp at the site

“We has been visiting Mqeku picnic site since 2015,” continues Duggan. “Sibusiso and I met and I said I had a 4x4 route in the Valley if 1000 Hills but wanted to have our end point at his Mqeku Picnic Site. I fetched him and he showed me how we could tie the two routes together. We then hired local residents to help maintain these route along the trail. For 7 years I have been enjoying the Valley of 1000 Hills. When I saw his pictures of the detestation of the flooding after all he had put into this site, I knew I had to assist. We have approached Build It to assist with Cement to rebuild his braai’s.”

The tour meets at the Polo Pony Engen Garage Polo Pony (Shongweni/Hillcrest) to depart at 8am and depart for the Valley of 1000 Hills. Then you will climb up to the top of the Valley of 1000 Hills with breathtaking views of Dusi/Umgeni River Valley and Inanda Dam. The convoy will make its way down to Toleni Falls and the Mqeku River and 4x4 down to the Mqeku Picnic Site. At the picnic site you can pick your own place to set up with your family or friends Pack a picnic basket or charcoal and Braai meat and enjoy a fantastic experience with your family and friends.

Tubing at Mqeku

Cost is R 650 per vehicle which includes entry to the site, with 50% being donated to the site to help them rebuild it.

Duggan, will be arranging another event, together with the 4x4 community to help Shangase rebuild the site.

For more information or to book contact Travis on 0832327065.

Grantleigh College wins North Coast Regional of SPAR Challenge

SPAR KZN Schoolgirls Hockey Challenge

North Coast Regional

Grantleigh College: Saturday 21 May

For the fifth consecutive regional final, host school Grantleigh College met Felixton College in the North Coast Regional, the last of the ten KZN regionals of the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge held on Saturday 21 May at Grantleigh’s astro.

In their previous clashes since 2017, both teams have raised the trophy twice. In their fifth regional final bout, Grantleigh managed a hard-earned victory. It was their second meeting of the day against the determined visitors, the top two teams met in the opening game of the tournament, when the heavens opened dumping bucket loads of water on the field. In a drenched start, the first round went in favour of Grantleigh.

Games were reduced to fifteen minutes each with the deluge threatening for the entire day to be postponed. Fortunately for the seven teams, the rain didn’t stop play and the weather cleared up.

After a cautious start by both teams in the tense final, Grantleigh started to build pressure on Felixton after 8 minutes of play. The home team got into their stride taking the game up towards the Felixton goal.

Grantleigh had been taking runs at the Felixton defense for a couple of minutes, sending play down their favoured right-hand side. A break through saw Kelly Braithwaite being in the right spot at the right time as she was left unmarked in the middle of the Felixton circle. Camping out on the penalty spot, Braithwaite received a gift of an opportunity when the ball rolled straight to her from one of her team’s advances. Calmly balancing herself and not hesitating, she slapped the ball in for Grantleigh’s first goal.

In a steadfast and unwavering display, not giving up - the visiting team had a fantastic passage of play going on the offensive. Three minutes after Grantleigh scored, Felixton were awarded a short corner. The ball was pushed short to the first player on the D, stopping it cleanly and quickly, Chanel Naidoo let off her attempt from just inside the circle. Grantleigh’s keeper, Zime Maxase didn’t have any problems stopping the shot, and not wasting any time, she efficiently got the ball away from the goal mouth. Unfortunately, the swift clearance found a Felixton attacker who got the second phase of play underway, moving the ball smoothly to her player on the post. In a decisive deflection, Amanda Mthembu helped the precise pass in, earning the all-important leveller. The score now was 1 all with just under 9 minutes left of play.

As time slipped away, both teams persevered in their quest for the regional winning goal but as the final whistle blew, the score was still level with both teams netting only the one goal each. The regional final moved to a penalty shoot-out where three players from each team would individually have a chance against the opposition’s keeper.

In the six rounds of the penalty shoot-outs, the scoreboard remained unchanged with all six attempts either going wide or being well defended by the alert keepers. The game then went to the next level, sudden death. Felixton led the charge with Naidoo making her way goalwards, as she neared Grantleigh’s keeper, she craftily tried to slip in her attempt, but her shot was fired directly at the keeper, Maxase, who neatly cleared it out of the danger zone.

Next to go, with home turf and home crowd advantage, Grantleigh’s Braithwaite cruised up with the ball. As she entered the circle, she veered right and after a couple of paces, knocked in a rocket that was just out of reach of Felixton’s keeper, Sena Mhlaba, her goal claiming victory for her beloved team.

Chatting after the game, Captain for Grantleigh College, Kayla Hassard shared, “We had a very good tournament, and played well throughout the day. Our structure was good, and everything that we have been working on we were able to achieve, and we proved what we are capable of. Felixton are our main rivals in this area and in today’s game they made us work hard for our win. I am extremely proud of our shoot out and how well Zime and Kelly did in the sudden death.”

Sisanda Juqu from Grantleigh College was awarded Umpire of the Day.

Hoisting the trophy for the fifth time, Grantleigh have earned the final ticket to the Grand Finals where they will meet nine other KZN regional winners at St Mary’s D.S.G. in Kloof on 23 and 24 July.

North Coast Regional winner, Grantleigh College join Pionier Hoërskool (Northern KZN Regional); St Anne’s College (PMB North Regional); St John’s D.S.G. (PMB Central Regional); Our Lady of Fatima (DBN North Regional); St Mary’s D.S.G. (Highway Regional); Kuswag Hoërskool (DBN South Regional); King Edward High School (Ugu and Sisonke Regional); Domino Servite (uMvoti and oThukela Regional) and Durban Girls’ College (Durban Central Regional) at the Grand Finals.

For more info like the tournament’s Facebook page or follow on Instagram.

Results

1 Grantleigh College 24 points; 2 Felixton College 20 points; 3 Empangeni High School 10 points; 4 St Catherine’s School 6 points; 5 Eshowe High School 4 points; = 6 John Ross College 3 points; = 6 Richards Bay Christian School 3 points

Scores

Felixton 0 vs Grantleigh 1

St Catherine’s 0 vs Eshowe 0

Empangeni 0 vs Richards Bay Christian School 0

Felixton 3 vs John Ross 0

Eshowe 0 vs Empangeni 0

Grantleigh 2 vs St Catherine’s 0

Felixton 2 vs Empangeni 0

John Ross 0 vs Grantleigh 4

Richards Bay Christian School 1 vs Eshowe 1

Felixton 3 vs St Catherine’s 0

Empangeni 0 vs Grantleigh 1

John Ross 0 vs Richards Bay Christian School 0

Felixton 2 vs Eshowe 1

Richards Bay Christian School 0 vs Grantleigh 5

St Catherine’s 0 vs John Ross 0

Eshowe 0 vs Grantleigh 5

John Ross 0 vs Empangeni 1

Richards Bay Christian School 0 vs St Catherine’s 2

Eshowe 0 vs John Ross 0

Felixton 2 vs Richards Bay Christian School 0

St Catherine’s 0 vs Empangeni 1

Final: Grantleigh 1 (1) vs Felixton 0 (1)

ENDS

Northern KZN Coastal Regional Grantleigh College: Saturday 21 May

SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge

Northern KZN Coastal Regional

Grantleigh College: Saturday 21 May

Concluding this year’s ten KZN regionals, Grantleigh College hosts the final SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge on Saturday 21 May.

In the North Coast Regional, Grantleigh College welcomes schools from Empangeni High School, Eshowe High School, Felixton College, John Ross College, Richards Bay Christian School and St Catherine’s School. 

The seven schools will take to the turf in a round robin format where the games will last 18 minutes, with play running only one way. After the 21 scheduled games, the top two teams on the leaderboard will meet each other in the regional decider. The final will be 20 minutes one way. If the game ends on a draw, three players from each team will head to the spot for a riveting penalty shoot-out. 

For each of the winning teams in the 21 rounds, they will earn 4 points on the leaderboard, if the teams draw with both netting goals, they get 2 points each, a goalless draw will see a single point being added to each of the teams’ scorecards, and a loss amounting to zero points. 

Three teams proudly have their names engraved on the North Coast Regional trophy, with Grantleigh being the defending champions, and winning on three previous occasions, equalling Empangeni High School record from the early days when they dominated this region with four wins in succession. Felixton College have lifted the trophy twice and featured in the regional final last year against the hosts.  

At the conclusion of the ten KZN regionals, the top team representing their area heads to the Grand Finals that takes place at St Mary’s D.S.G. in Kloof on 23 and 24 July. The winner of this region will join nine victorious teams that have already earned their spot, they are Pionier Hoërskool (Northern KZN Regional); St Anne’s College (PMB North Regional); St John’s D.S.G. (PMB Central Regional); Our Lady of Fatima (DBN North Regional); St Mary’s D.S.G. (Highway Regional); Kuswag Hoërskool (DBN South Regional); King Edward High School (Ugu and Sisonke Regional); Domino Servite (uMvoti and oThukela Regional) and the most recently crowned team Durban Girls’ College from last weekend’s Durban Central Regional. 

If you are unable to get to the sidelines at Grantleigh this weekend, you can watch all the action on the SuperSport Schools mobile App or on their website. 

For more info like the tournament's Facebook page or follow on Instagram. 

ENDS

Durban Girls' College wins Durban Central Regional of SPAR Schoolgirls' Hockey

SPAR KZN Schoolgirls Hockey Challenge

Durban Central Regional

Durban Girls College: Sunday 15 May 

Building on their outstanding record, Durban Girls’ Colleges dominance in the Durban Central Regional continued at the SPAR KZN Schoolgirls’ Hockey Challenge on their home turf on Sunday 15 May.

College is the only team in the history of the tournament that started in 2011, to have a 100% record winning all of their regionals. Netting a cracking 32 goals in their six round robin games and having a clean sheet in the goals against column, College completed their impeccable performance and an impressive 24 points on the log. Finishing with an impressive 17 points, Durban Girls High School ended their round robin in second place, earning themselves another run at College after their narrow defeat in their first meeting.

College met a gritty and untiring team from Durban Girls’ High School in the regional decider. Girls’ High defended like champs for majority of the game with a barrage of attacks by the home team. The first circle entry by College took place with just 27 seconds of play on the clock. Nine seconds later, College earned their first of five short corners. 

Constantly mounting on the pressure, College controlled majority of the possession with quick and decisive play heading towards their opposition’s goals. In Girls’ High School’s first moment on attack in the eighth minute, Hannah Lombard found herself with a golden opportunity, having the ball on stick and some room to move, she honed in on the College goals, with just the keeper, Nandi Mnyandu to beat, Lombard released the ball watching it as it rolled agonizingly out of play, shaving the left upright. 

On the other side, standing strong, the last line of defense for Girls’ High, Amy Callaghan had a cracking game in goals. On her toes, she padded away anything that came near her, including a whistling reverse stick shot fired from only meters in front with just 3 minutes left on the clock, the pumped-up keeper punched the attempt with her left hand stopping the ball in its tracks. 

With time slipping away, College were awarded a free hit midfield on the 22 with only 67 seconds left of the game. Emily Macquet quickly got play underway knocking the ball into the circle. The determined pass was missed by two of her players, and the players marking them. Standing right at the back, hugging the left post was College’s Hannah Hargroves who calmly stuck out her stick, redirecting the free hit firmly into the back of the goals, scoring Colleges’ all important regional final winner. 

Umpire of the Day was awarded to Sonika Buys wearing St Henrys Marist College colours. This is not the first time ‘no nonsense’ Buys has been acknowledged at this regional for her wonderful skills with the whistle. 

Captain for College, Danni Wiseman stated after the game, “We performed really well as a team and we are growing with each game that we play. I am really proud of the girls for what we have accomplished today. Our games against DGHS in the playoffs and in the final were tough ones, big congratulations to them as well, they played really well.”

Talking about the final, Wiseman continued, “We had a lot of possession but unfortunately just couldn’t finish. Luckily for us we got that goal near the end of the game.”

Durban Girls’ College is the ninth team that will be heading to the Grand Finals in July at St Mary’s D.S.G. They join eight teams that have already won their regionals, they are Pionier Hoërskool (Northern KZN Regional); St Anne’s College (PMB North Regional); St John’s D.S.G. (PMB Central Regional); Our Lady of Fatima (DBN North Regional); St Mary’s D.S.G. (Highway Regional); Kuswag Hoërskool (DBN South Regional); King Edward High School (Ugu and Sisonke Regional); Domino Servite (uMvoti and oThukela Regional).

The challenge wraps up next weekend in Richards Bay with Grantleigh hosting the North Coast KZN Regional. 

Results

1 Durban Girls’ College 24 points; 2 Durban Girls’ High School 17 points; 3 Maris Stella 14 points; 4 St Henry’s Marist College 13 points; 5 INK 8 points; =6 Inanda Seminary School 1 point; =6 Port Natal Skool 1 point

Games Scores

St Henrys 0 vs Durban Girls’ College 5

Maris Stella 0 vs Durban Girls’ High School 0

Port Natal 0 vs INK 2

Inanda Seminary 0 vs St Henrys 3

Durban Girls’ College 3 vs Maris Stella 0

Durban Girls’ High School 5 vs Port Natal 0

St Henrys 1 vs INK 0 

Maris Stella 5 vs Inanda Seminary 0 

Durban Girls’ College 1 vs Durban Girls’ High School 0

St Henrys 3 vs Port Natal 0

Maris Stella 5 vs INK 0

Durban Girls’ College 7 vs Inanda Seminary 0

St Henrys 0 vs Durban Girls’ High School 3

Durban Girls’ College 7 vs Port Natal 0

Inanda Seminary 0 vs Durban Girls’ High School 6

St Henrys 0 vs Maris Stella 0

Durban Girls’ High School 6 vs INK 0

Port Natal 0 vs Inanda Seminary 0

Durban Girls’ College 9 vs INK 0

Maris Stella 1 vs Port Natal 0

INK 1 vs Inanda Seminary 0

Final: Durban Girls’ College 1 vs Durban Girls’ High School 0

ENDS

Flatfoot Dance Company presents “The Cleansing” with Iain Ewok Robinson @BotanicGardens Durban 20-24 April

FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY  in association with the Durban Botanic Gardens Trust, presents “THE CLEANSING” with Iain ewok Robinson at the Botanic Gardens from 20 to 24 April at 6pm each evening.

In THE CLEANSING, FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY journeys into the heartland of Earth issues using this performance moment to negotiate the true meaning of ecology – the connectedness of human existence to all existence. What better site than Durban’s Botanic Gardens to open up this exploration of self to our natural world. In this moving dance work, the Botanic Gardens – itself bearing the scars of a colonial heritage - are transformed to a site of continued natural beauty and potential transformations.

Photo by Val Adamason

Jabu Siphika and Mthoko Mkhwanazi in THE CLEANSING

“THE CLEANSING is a ritual for us humans, and for the Earth – a cultural enactment of the sacred bond between the dancers and the ground they move on as they ‘cleanse’ themselves ready for a deeper connection to one another and to the Earth,” says Artistic Director Dr Lliane Loots.

Believing that environment justice is social justice, FLATFOOT joins with long-time collaborator and wordsmith extraordinaire, poet Iain ewok Robinson. His poetic words flow with the dancers in an evocation that shouts out “surely the Earth can be saved for me”, “surely the earth can be saved for you”. 

“Very loosely based on the impulses of Stravinsky’s 1913 music “Rite of Spring”, this site-responsive dance work asks of all of us what we will sacrifice for Spring to finally come,” continues Loots. “In this instance, and after a 2-year lock down, ‘spring’ is (perhaps) an imagined hope for different and intimate relationships with each other and our world around us.”

This is moving and powerful choreo-poetry that aims to subtly carries its audience to places of deep knowing and awareness. Created in the evolving collaborative creative process, this site responsive dance work is jointly created by Lliane Loots, Sifiso Khumalo, Jabu Siphika, Mthoko Mkhwanazi, Sbonga Ndlovu, Siseko Duba and Ndumiso Dube.

Join FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY and Iain ewok Robinson in the lush surroundings of Durban’s iconic Botanic Gardens that allows you to safely watch this unique dance company. Bring your own picnic, glass of wine, and a blanket to sit on. Doors open at 5.30pm - come and get settled, enjoy a picnic or a stroll around the gardens, show starts at 6pm. The show is one hour.

 To book contact flafootdancecompany@gmail.com.

Tickets are R100 per person.

Celebrated National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts to give Keynote Address at NEWF Fellows' Summit in Durban

Celebrated National Geographic Explorer Tara Roberts to give Keynote Address at

NEWF Fellows' Summit in Durban

Durban, South Africa: Celebrated American National Geographic explorer Tara Roberts, will be in Durban this week (22 February) to present a keynote address at the inaugural Nature, Environment & Wildlife Filmmaking (NEWF) Fellows’ Summit.

At the invitation of NEWF directors Noel Kok and Pragna Parsotam-Kok, Tara Roberts will deliver her address to 80 young filmmakers, scientists and storytellers from 15 African countries who have participated in NEWF’s numerous labs or training workshops over the years. She will be referencing her ground-breaking National Geographic podcast series Into the Depths, of her personal journey following Black scuba divers from the organisation Diving with a Purpose, searching for slave shipwrecks around the world (of which there are reputed to be more than 1000).

Featuring on the cover of the March 2022 edition of the prestigious National Geographic magazine, Roberts reveals the insights of her journey explaining that “it is time for their (slave ancestors) stories to rise from the depths, to be told in their fullness, in their wonder—and with love, with honor, with respect.”

She also features in the National Geographic Documentary Special, Clotilda: Last American Slave Ship and a short documentary Diving with Purpose.

Over the 5 years of its existence, NEWF has grown into much more than its annual congress that connects filmmakers, storytellers, scientists, conservationists, and media distributors working in conservation through film. It has also played a major role in supporting emerging filmmakers by connecting them to funders as well as providing labs and capacity development, and this cohort is now known as NEWF “Fellows”.

“In the two-year absence of an in-person NEWF Congress, we thought we should focus on consolidating the skills and networking of the cohort of NEWF Fellows,” explains Noel Kok. “Our overall vision for this sector of the film industry is to tell the “Stories of Africa” that celebrate and advocate for the protection of her natural (and cultural) history that is told by a connected network of visual storytellers organically led by indigenous African voices. And there is no better way to do this, than by supporting the emergence of these stories through young filmmakers.”

“It is a true honour to have Tara here to give an address about her journey, as a journalist and storyteller, we hope she will shine a light for this cohort as a trailblazer, and role-model, motivating them to tell our African stories,” enthuses Pragna Parsotam-Kok. “Her story is so inspirational as she seeks out to uncover the lost history of Africans under the ocean.”

To listen to the Into the Depths podcasts : https://on.natgeo.com/3h6PV24

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Green Corridors – go outside with your family this holiday in Durban!

Green Corridors, the NPO that cares for the glorious green spaces around Durban, offers some exceptional picnic sites and tourism experiences, all easily accessible for a socially distanced outdoor gathering with a host of activities during the Festive Season. 

Whether it is self-drive or fully guided on the Green Corridors Shuttle Bus, these are wide-open spaces to relax, play, adventure and have loads of fun – they’re ideal for the whole family, and only a short distance from Durban’s CBD.

These wonderful sites are not only perfect for day visits, but camping, too, is available. There is also the unique Green Corridors’ pop-up camping option that is stress free…and includes everything you need for a “glamping weekend” tents, stretcher, camp shower, catering tent and other equipment (with catering or self catering options).

Cycling from eNanda Adventure Park

ENANDA ADVENTURES

eNanda Adventure Park on the beautiful Inanda Dam has the prettiest picnic site and an adrenaline-inducing pump bike track. The site offers guided mountain biking, birding excursions, hiking trails and canoeing.  A lovely shaded lawn overlooks the dam where you can launch canoes to explore the waterways. 

eNanda Adventures offers camping right on the water's edge, as well as cabins. Boat launching permits can be also issued on behalf of Msinsi Holdings (which manages the dam), ideal for those wishing to launch here. 

Canoeing at Mnini Tourist Resort

MNINI DAM

Mnini Dam, south of Durban in the quiet, picturesque uMgababa area offers two superb sites for picnics, canoeing, fishing (large-mouth bass, tilapia) and some spectacular birding, hiking and MTB trails. 

Hiking with Thulas Adventures around Mnini Dame

The two tourism sites are Thulas’ Adventures, which also hosts pop- up camps, with or without catering), right on the water’s edge, and you enjoy guided nature and birding hikes, as well as cycle tours. The Mnini Dam Tourist Resort is tailormade for picnics, boat launching, fishing, birding, and hiking, with campsites and en-suite rooms available for hire as well as a well stocked bar and restaurant.  

Tubing at Mqeku

MQEKU PICNIC SITE

Mqeku picnic site in the exquisite Valley of 1000 Hills has a unique ‘bum-slide’ on its river, a sparkling clean tributary into the Umgeni. This crazy, fun slide ends in a serenely calm pool, where you can simply float on a tube. There are excellent walking trails here, and the local community will welcome you warmly, and take care of your every need. Braai facilities and camping are available.

Biking at isiThumba

ISITHUMBA

Isithumba in the Valley of 1000 Hills is fully kitted out with accommodation, hiking, MTB and cultural tours. Local guides with unparalleled knowledge and story-telling skills will bring to life the culture, rituals and customs of the Zulu people as you tour this quintessential rural Zulu village.

Exquisite sites around Molweni Valley on a hike

MOLWENI VALLEY

Lower Molweni  is a short drive into the Valley of 1000 Hills from Hillcrest and is a hikers, birders and nature-lovers paradise.  there is a network of community-developed nature trails that lead hikers through the spectacular rugged cliffs and forests of the area, just on the outskirts of the Krantzkloof Nature Reserve. This reserve is a biodiversity treasure trove including 50 mammals, 253 bird, 35 reptiles, 150 butterflies, 273 tree and over 1500 plant species. Visit the Philangethemba Impact site with K&X Café and Ibongezi Crafters.

GREEN HUB

The GreenHub at Durban’s Blue Lagoon – offers some amazing eco-tourism activities – birding, hiking, canoeing and a visit to the fascinating Ezemvelo Beachwood Mangroves (on selected days). 

Green Corridors Shuttle bus at isiThumba

SHUTTLES OFFERED TO VARIOUS SITES

Green Corridors sites and tourism experiences are so easily accessible. The ultimate convenience is to hop on a  Green Corridors Shuttle Bus, which leaves from  Durban’s GreenHub on the Umgeni River (near Blue Lagoon) and takes guests on the following excursions:

·      Wild Enanda/Enanda Dam trip. It includes uMzinyathi Falls, the sacred Rastafarian Caves, a trip with Canoeing eNanda Adventures, and eNanda Mountain (lunch available at eNanda at your own expense). 

·      Mqeku Tubing and Bum Slide, where you’ll visit the Valley of a 1000 Hills, enjoy the amazing views en route…then just ride the bum slide, take a tube ride or chill in the shady picnic site (bring your own picnic lunch). Mqeku Picnic site is exquisite.

·      Durban’s Waterfalls (bring your own picnic lunch). You’ll travel from Paradise Valley Falls to Kloof Falls to uMzinyathi Falls – perfect for keen photographers, nature lovers and water babies. 

·      Mnini Canoe and Hike Trip, ideal for birdwatchers and peace seekers - lunch available at eNanda at your own expense. This is a leisurely day, drifting along the Mnini Dam shores, or hiking through the deep river gorges. 

·      Green Corridors’ GreenHub is centrally located on the banks of the uMngeni River, known locally as Blue Lagoon, offering a walk-in centre for information, eco-education and tour bookings, with bicycle and canoe hire available.

The Shuttle Bus transport, guides and any entrance fees are included in the R400 per person - minimum of four persons for the tour to run. 

All sites have a nominal entrance fee - camping and activity fees vary from site to site, helping to drive the local tourism economy in these areas.

Bookings are essential and can easily be made on +27 (31) 322 6026 or email frontdesk@greencorridors.afric

For more information go to : https://durbangreencorridor.co.za/

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Flatfoot Dance Company in Earth Rhythms at KZNSA Gallery

FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY  in partnership with the KZNSA, presents …EARTH RHYTHMS

@ KZNSA GALLERY, Durban

Durban: Join FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY for two performances only at Glenwood’s iconic KZNSA Art Gallery in Durban on 10 and 11 December at 6.30pm.

In a family friendly celebration of rhythm, joy and the sheer delight of the dancing and moving body, FLATFOOT will take you on a journey of magical explosive dance that celebrates how rhythm connects us all. Choreographed in a sharing of skills and styles by the full company; Lliane Loots, Sifiso Khumalo, Jabu Siphika, Mthoko Mkhwanazi, Sbonga Ndlovu, Siseko Duba, Ndumiso Dube, and Zinhle Nzama, this performance also features celebrated Durban poet Ongezwa Mbele as her rhythmic spoken words weave a connection between dance, music and the healing time and tides of the ocean. 

FLATFOOT's Sbonga Ndlovu in full flight - photo by Val Adamson

EARTH RHYTHMS is a delightful showcase of FLATFOOT’s unique - award-winning - contemporary dance style mixed in with a bit of popular street dance that will bring a smile to your face.

In honouring the holiday season, this partnership with the KZNSA is a dine, wine, shop and dance happening– doors open from 5pm so you can do some early evening Christmas shopping at BUZZART21, grab a bite to eat and settle into your seats for the 6.30pm show start! The show is one hour.

 The venue is Covid compliant and no mask, no entry! Each performance has a limit of x100 audience members only – book soon to avoid disappointment. No walk-ins/at the door sales - all tickets MUST be prebooked and paid for in advance.

COST: R100 per ticket (under 13s: R80)

Bookings made via flatfootdancecompany@gmail.com

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SA Short film Deliver Me in competition at Cairo International Film Festival

Paper Cranes Collective and Ctrl Alt Shift are proud to announce that their first collaboration, Deliver Me, will have its international premiere at this year’s Cairo International Festival (26 November - 5 December) where it will take part in the Official Short Film Competition.  Directed by Cape-Town based Jannous Aukema (Until The Silence Comes and The Jaguars Daughter), the film was conceived, filmed and edited during South Africa’s LockDown level 4. Made for under R20,000 and a four-man crew, the project is a unique take on the documentary storytelling format. 

“We are honoured and very pleased to have our project Deliver Me, screen at such a prestigious festival such as Cairo International Film Festival, a festival that plays such a key role not only in the continental festival calendar, but also is a significant on the international festival landscape,” said Durban-based Mitchell Harper, Ctrl Alt Shift producer of the film. “ We are excited and to be the only Southern African film in the festival’s competition. The journey of the film has been amazing given it’s scale and I think a testament about the success of films that have collaborative nature, along with its unusual approach to story-telling and financing will hopefully readjust many to how we approach not only filmmaking, but help shift our understanding of what trials many go through in a bid to survive everyday life.”

Co-produced by companies in Durban and Cape Town, Deliver Me is a 28 minute film, a poetic meditation on the migration of a Malawian man, who has come to South Africa to find a future for himself and his family. We follow Paul Mwase through the evening streets, restaurants and suburbs he navigates as an Uber delivery bike rider, during the coronavirus hard lockdown in Cape Town, South Africa. We come to see that he is a man driven by love for his family, whom he remains in contact with through his cellphone, his digital lifeline to those he has left behind. His work and the conditions he toils in are solitary. In many ways Paulʼs journey as witnessed in the film is a signifier not only of the struggles of isolation in an unknown place, but more generally of the lonesome months of a world pandemic. 

The film will be have its screening on the 28 November and will be available on digital platforms, and  is available on the African continent  throughout the festival period.

To find out how to watch Deliver Me, go to The Cairo International Film Festival

Action in Autism Market Day – Saturday 20 November 2021

Media release

Action in Autism Market Day – Saturday 20 November 2021

Action in Autism will host a Summer Market at the Action in Autism Centre in Park Hill, Durban North on Saturday, 20 November from 9am – 2pm.  

The students of Action in Autism’s skills transfer and business hub, have been hard at work preparing for the market.   This project not only provides a focus for their learning and studies in the areas of administration, consumer and business studies, gardening, food production and craft, but also serve as a fundraiser for the organisation.  “Market Day means to show other people outside the Action in Autism Centre what we can accomplish when we work together as a team, and not just as individuals,” says Michelle Edmonds, a 22 year old autistic student. Her fellow student, Bruce Baloyi, interjects to ensure those attending know that the Market runs from 9am to 2pm.

The Market Day is a bi-annual event at which the Shahumna students showcase their work and products created in the Business Hub and is the practical component of their Business Studies curriculum. In addition, the Market serves as an event for networking and connection not only for Autistic people and their families, but also for the neighbourhood and surrounding community, as well as local business. “Market Day highlights the capabilities, talents and is a culmination of our students’ accomplishments throughout the year,” says Ashvir Dalu, manager of the Shahumna Centre. “It is also a time that we all get to relax and have fun in an embracing environment.” The intention for the Market is to create a day of family togetherness that is inclusive and welcoming of autistic people and the broader community, that will bring in much-needed funds and resources for Action in Autism, says Centre Director, Kirsten Miller. 

The Shahumna skills and business hub is just one of Action in Autism’s many projects. The organisation’s other flagship projects are its Early Intervention Centre that provides early intervention and therapy to those children whose families cannot afford the high cost of private services, and the Assessment and Therapy Wing, that provides assessment and therapy services. Emma Hunt, a Park Hill resident and a student at the Shahumna Centre, speaks of the Market as a wonderful opportunity for autistic people to interact with people both on the spectrum and outside of the spectrum. “We can all have fun together in one space instead of separating ourselves from each other,” says Emma.

Emma Hunt and Thabiso Ndlovu.j

Visitors to the market can expect to find baked goods and teas prepared by the students of the Business Skills Centre, a range of quality gelato flavours from The Italian Corner, pre-loved clothing, plants, a jumping castle, games and kiddies’ treats. Action in Autism extends a welcome to the surrounding communities to enjoy a day out with Autistic people, and to browse, have a cup of coffee and purchase one or two Christmas presents.   The organisation is using this as an opportunity to showcase its services and to create partnerships with individuals and organisations who would support the organisation and the programmes offered. 

Action in Autism welcomes any sponsorship/donation for the Market Day.  Action in Autism is a registered Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) with an 18A Tax Exemption status. This means that a donation to Action in Autism is tax deductible (Tax Act 58 of 1962). If you would like to attend the Market, or to make a donation, to book a table to trade, support a child at the centre, or for more information about the services offered by the organisation, please call 031 563 3039, email info@actioninautism.org.za, or visit the website at www.actioninautism.org.za. 

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Cover photo Kaveer Lutchman, Malita Mandlate and Bruce Baloyi

Action in Autism Fundraiser - award-winning film The Reason I Jump

Action in Autism:

Fundraiser Film: The Reason I Jump - Cinema 3, Gateway, Umhlanga

Sunday 21 November, 16h45

Action in Autism will host a special screening of the award-winning film The Reason I Jump based on the book by Japanese Naoki Higashida, who is Autistic, and was thirteen at the time of writing. This will be a fundraiser for the organisation which supports Autistic people and their families through the provision of services and resources, on Sunday 21 November at 16h45 Cinema 3, Gateway, Umhlanga.

Through his writing Higashida maps the experiences of being Autistic and translates these experiences for a neurotypical readership – the hyper-focus, the destabilisation, the social difficulties as well as the unique joys and benefits of thinking in a way that is neurologically a-typical. The internationally celebrated book was first published in Japanese in 2007 and later translated into English, the process supported and publically endorsed by the renowned novelist David Mitchell, who has an Autistic son.

The cinematic version of The Reason I Jump, created by film-maker Jerry Rothwell, won  the Audience Award: World Cinema Documentary at Sundance in 2020.  It is brought to Durban through an exciting partnership between Videovision Entertainment and Action in Autism. The screening of this powerful documentary aims to raise much-needed funds for Action in Autism’s two flagship projects, the Early Intervention and Therapy Centre, and the Shahumna Centre, a skills transference and business hub for adults with Autism and related neurological conditions. “The intention of The Reason I Jump, as both a book and a film,” writes Adrian Horton in The Guardian in a review from 9 January, “is explicitly didactic, a missive to explain one person’s neuro-divergent experience and broader call to expand one’s imagination of human cognition.”

Action in Autism’s vision is for Autistic people and all people with disabilities to be accepted, respected and valued as members of the community. “This fundraiser speaks to who we are,” says Liza Aziz, Action in Autism’s Chairperson and the parent of an adult Autistic son. “It empowers and teaches people about a world of which they know very little.” Videovision Entertainment has supported the organisation since its inception in 2005, and continues to work as one of the partners that ensures opportunity for Autistic people through events such as this screening.”

“In the film Rothwell examines the lives of five young people who live with Autism spectrum disorder, and is a perfect tool to educate people on Autism, so we are delighted to continue our association with Action in Autism since its founding, and to support the exemplary work done by Liza Aziz and the Action in Autism team,” said Sanjeev Singh, Videovision Entertainment’s Director of Distribution and Acquisition.

Tickets are  R120 and can be booked by calling 031 563 3039 or emailing info@actioninautism.org.za.

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National Geographic Wild’s Snakes in the City starts filming next season in Durban

It’s heating up and the rains are here... which means snakes are waking up from their winter slumber and are hungrily heading out to forage for food. No need to panic though. Snakes in the City stars, Simon Keys and Siouxsie Gillett are back in Durban and all set to respond to calls to rescue, remove and relocate snakes as they film the next season of National Geographic Wild’s internationally acclaimed reality series.

After ten months back in the UK, where the couple are based, Simon and Siouxsie are ready to get cracking on this season’s filming. “We love being in South Africa, and with our passion for snakes and reptiles, it is always a delight to be out and about helping to rescue and relocate them. Every day presents us with new adventures and challenges as we go about doing what we love and landing up in some unbelievably strange positions and in unlikely places to find our slithery friends. Most of all we love educating people and changing their attitudes about snakes, showing that they play an important role in the environment. We hope we are saving the reptile population one snake at a time,” they say.

Siouxsie Gillett loves being in SA to film Snakes in the City

“Snakes in the City continues to grow in popularity and we are thrilled that it has such a wide global reach. The diversity of the snake population, harmless, venomous and everything in between, along with the wide variety of locations in Durban, and  Simon and Siouxsie’s quirky, passionate and dedicated approach makes for compelling viewing,” says Graeme Duane, Creative Director: Earth Touch, the Umhlanga-based production house that produces the series. 

Simon Keyes ready for action and back in Durban to film the next season of Snakes in the City

The dynamic team is available to capture and remove snakes from properties in and around the greater Durban area, north to Tongaat, south to Illovo Beach, and inland to Botha’s Hill, subject to availability. The season will be filmed within strict South African government specified Covid-19 guidelines and regulations. There is no charge for a call-out, and the caller, with permission and depending on the conditions of the call-out, may end up on the television series.

If you spot a snake in your home, workplace or neighbourhood, call the Snakes in the City hotline on 063 234 6932.

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India-based Dance Company for JOMBA!

Media Release

JOMBA! Collaborates with India-based The Pickle Dance Foundation

Calcutta-based dance organisation, the Pickle Factory Dance Foundation, will showcase eight especially curated short dance films at this year’s online JOMBA! Contemporary Dance Experience, which takes place online from 24 August to 5 September.

The Pickle Factory makes up the Indian Crossings Platform of the programme and come to JOMBA! thanks to support from the Durban Indian Consulate’s Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre. These films, express an evocative interpretation of the festival’s theme ‘border crossings’, and speak to the zeitgeist of contemporary Indian dance making and its relationship to film and screen.

Their programme titled I m / Material curated, especially for JOMBA! 2021 presents a series of dialogues between the mediums of dance and cinema created by artists from / in India. The dancers and filmmakers negotiate various material and embodied spaces through movement, opening up tensions and textures between natural and man-made environments, elements and expectations. The relationships between the dancing body, the camera and the surrounding contexts are diverse, fluid, and complex - reflective of a country, like India, where socio-cultural borders are never static, and traditional and contemporary sensibilities often occupy the same time/space.

The work has been co-curated for JOMBA! by Vikram Iyengar and Kunal Chakraborty. Iyengar is the Founder and Director of Pickle Factory Dance Foundation and is an arts leader and connector based in Calcutta, India and working internationally. He is a dancer-choreographer-director, curator-presenter, and arts researcher-writer. Chakraborty is a filmmaker who is closely associated with People’s Film Collective, a cultural and socio-political group in Calcutta in various capacities ranging from organizing international film festivals to screening films for children amongst other organisational activities. He is currently the Project Manager for Pickle Factory Dance Foundation.

Dance films include works and collaborations from Lubdhak Chatterjee, Dr Pompi Paul, Hediyeh Azma, Sumedha Bhattacharyya, Preethi Athreya, Sharan Devkar Shankar, Gia Singh Arora and Mukta Nagpal, Bimbavati Devi, Kankana Singh, Suman Sarkar, Souvik Banerjee, Thiyam Maurice, Niharika Senapati, Pippa Samaya, Nikita Maheshwary, Frédéric Lombard and Surjit Nongmeikapam.

Subscribe to the JOMBA! Youtube channel and watch The Pickle Factory films free and online on 4 September at 7pm: https://www.youtube.com/Jomba_Dance

For more information and for the full programme go to: https://jomba.ukzn.ac.za/

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Another Generation Africa Film – The Last Shelter wins at Encounters and Heads for DIFF

Another Generation Africa Film – The Last Shelter wins at Encounters and Heads for Durban International Film Fest

A second film in the Generation Africa slate of 25 films on migration, being produced by STEPS, the Cape Town-based documentary production powerhouse, has won an award at the 2021 Encounters South Africa International Documentary Film Festival.

The Last Shelter directed by Ousmane Samassékou (France/ Mali/ South Africa) won the Best South African / African feature at the festival with a citation by the jury:  “We were moved by The Last Shelter, which gave us full access to the House of Migrants, in the Malian City of Gao, a haven for African travellers. Ousmane Samassékou’s great access to the  two young protagonists, the intimacy of the observational style filming against the vast melancholy landscape of the dessert made this a favourite with the programming team. Last Shelter was successful in achieving the purpose of documentary; to cast a lens on world issues through the experiences of its subjects. “

“For me this award is doubly important,” says director Ousmane Samassékou. “Firstly, because South Africa has been a great source of help in the development and production of this film through STEP’s Generation Africa programme. It was through a workshop organized by STEPS in Burkina Faso that I learned about the migrant's home and decided to make it the subject of my film. Secondly, this is the first award that the film has received in Africa and I am very happy that it happened in South Africa.”

Produced by Point du Jour - Les films du balibari (France) in co-production with DS Productions (Mali) and STEPS (South Africa) with broadcaster, Arte GEIE, South African audiences will have a chance to watch the film at the Durban International Film Festival, online from 22 July to 1 August.

The other film which was screened at Encounters and will also screen at DIFF is Zinder directed by Aicha Macky, which earlier won the Ladima Foundation’s  Adiaha Award for Best Documentary Film by an African woman.

“It is a huge honour to have two films recognised at Encounters for their excellence in telling these truly compelling and necessary stories from Mali and Niger,” says Don Edkins, producer at STEPS and Generation Africa. “Both films hold up mirrors to our uniquely African stories, which are important to the global narrative of migration and futures of youth on the continent, and enable us to begin authentic and vital conversations around this.”

Generation Africa is the latest collection being produced by STEPS with 25 films in co-production with 16 countries across Africa. Generation Africa brings together stories reflecting the lived experiences of Africa’s youth through the topic of migration.

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Mqeku Picnic Site – an Ideal Spot for Family Outings

Mqeku Picnic Site – an Ideal Spot for Family Outings

Head for the great outdoors, enjoy the early-winter crisp weather and discover somewhere new: visit the Mqeku Picnic Site - a magical unexplored playground only 20 minutes from Hillcrest in the heart of the Valley of 1000 Hills.

With Youth Day and Father’s Day both coming up in the next fortnight – families may be looking for interesting things to do together.   

Mqeku offers fabulous birding opportunities (including sightings of the rare African Finfoot); river tubing or “bum-sliding” on a natural rock slide, 4x4 trails; nature hikes and picturesque picnic and braai sites, with a toilet and water – all in a pristine indigenous vegetation. For those who want to make a full weekend of it, there are fully serviced Pop Up Camping options too.

Owned and managed by the gregarious nature-lover Sibusiso Shangase, with marketing and management, support from Green Corridors, a Durban based environmental non-profit organisation supported by the economic development unit of eThekwini Municipality. Sibusiso is a certified South African Tourist Guide, and his qualified team welcome guests to the site and offer a guiding service to visitors keen to know more about the area. The site is on his family’s ancestral land, which allows him to talk to visitors personally and authentically about the diverse fauna, flora and history of the area.

The area is environmentally pristine. Situated on the confluence of the uMngeni and Mqueku Rivers, Shangase and his family are proud to have kept the bush wholly indigenous, with distinctive fever trees framing the meandering rivers punctuated with enormous granite rocks – perfect for soaking up the winter sun!  The more adventurous can explore the river and natural water slide on tubes. 

Mqeku is accessible with a conventional car - but is especially fun for 4x4 fans – offering various trails throughout the reserve – self-drive or more formal 4x4 trails offered by Monteseel Adventures.

For those who prefer to savour nature in a more sedate way, scenic walking and hiking trails are available. Hikes are easy enough to follow unguided, or visitors can book Shangase for a guided walk. Visitors can take a slow stroll towards the old Mfula trading store, something of a landmark for Dusi canoe fans, and still has a small shop in operation. 

Mqeku is a perfect destination for family groups or meetings of friends – also for corporate outings and enviro-themed functions and events.

The site is part of the Green Corridors initiative: an eco-sustainability project which involves collaboration with local communities, creating multiple opportunities for members to participate in the health and welfare of their natural surroundings. Green Corridors partners with a variety of stakeholders, to create open spaces in key local destinations and plays a vital role in improving the quality of the environment within which communities live, work, play and thrive.

Good to Know:

Mqeku Picnic Site about 20 minutes from Hillcrest. 

There is a nominal entry charge which goes towards the upkeep of the site.

Activities include picnic sites, amazing bird watching (including a local African Finfoot), 4x4 trails, hiking trails, MTB rides, rive tubing and local cultural walks. 

River tubes, helmets and lifejackets can be hired from Green Corridors 

Info and map: https://durbangreencorridor.co.za/mqeku-adventures

To find out about these and other things to do in the area – visit The Valley of a 1000 Hills Community Tourism Organisation website at https://www.1000hillstourism.co.za/

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Award-winning film I Am Here for Encounters & DIFF

Joint South African Premiere of award-winning film

I Am Here for Encounters South African International Documentary Festival &

Durban International Film Festival

The award-winning documentary I Am Here, an evocative portrait of a feisty and spirited 98-year-old Capetonian Ella Blumenthal, one of the few remaining Holocaust survivors, will have its joint premiere at the Encounters South African International Documentary Film Festival (10 - 20 June) and the Durban International Film Festival (22 July – 1 August).

Directed by South African filmmaker Jordy Sank, the film follows Ella at her 98th birthday celebration where she shares her story in a rare, honest and candid conversation with close friends and family.  These memories are depicted in 2D animation – typically an unusual medium for Holocaust flashbacks - which adds a nuanced innovation to the texture of Ella’s stories. 

While I Am Here recalls her astonishing endurance, weaved into her narrative of overcoming trauma, are uplifting stories of courage and light. Ella never lost hope, not even in the darkest of times. Some of Ella’s memories include surviving three concentration camps and avoiding death in seemingly serendipitous ways. She was a pillar of support to her niece, Roma, who survived alongside her. 

“Ella encompasses remarkable resilience, boundless energy and unwavering determination - her personality is remarkable not because of what she has been through but in spite of it.” says producer Gabriella Blumberg. “We hope that the film can be a catalyst for speaking about all forms of discrimination in a world that still defines itself by what is other.”

Jordy Sank describes meeting Ella for the first time “I had interacted with Holocaust survivors before, but none were quite like this. I knew that the world needed to learn from Ella Blumenthal’s stories and the awe-inspiring way she lives her life today.”

The film won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival and was also screened at the Miami Jewish Film Festival earlier this year.

This film was made possible with a grant from the Claims Conference and supported by the Johannesburg Holocaust and Genocide Centre. Metro International acquired world-wide rights to I Am Here and launched it at the European Film Market in February 2021.

For Encounters the film will be available in a virtual screening at  https://encounters.co.za/

Bookings for the Durban International Film Festival screenings will open at a later date. For more info: https://ccadiff.ukzn.ac.za

Direct booking info:

Encounters -the film will be screened from 13 - 20 June (R60) https://virtual.encounters.co.za/film/i-am-here/

Virtual Q&A at Encounters : Jun 13, 2021 07:15 PM SAST (Free)

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_jTD_-x1vQ4OtFDH09sBA-Q

Physical screening at Encounters at  Bioscope JHB with Q&A Mon. Jun 14, 2021 at 7:00pm SAST (R70)  https://tickets.tixsa.co.za/event/encounters-2021-i-am-here

Trailer link: https://vimeo.com/510401467

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FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY presents “PARK DANCES #2” @ Durban Botanic Gardens

FLATFOOT DANCE COMPANY

in association with the Durban Botanic Gardens Trust

presents

“PARK DANCES #2”

with special guest Manesh Maharaj

Durban Botanic Gardens

11, 12 & 13 June @ 4.30pm

18, 19 & 20 June @ 4.30pm

COST: R100 per ticket

Following a highly enjoyable and sold-out season in the Botanic Gardens the Flatfoot Dance Company presents for “Park Dances #2” in the winter wonderland lush surroundings of Durban’s iconic Botanic Gardens for their next dance experience that allows audiences to safely watch this unique dance company in an outdoor sundowner dance experience from 11, 12, 13 June, and 18, 19 & 20 June at 4.30pm each evening.

After the PARK DANCES#1 saw local audiences loving being back in a “theatre” environment,  PARK DANCES #2 sees FLATFOOT collaborate with Durban’s Kathak maestro Manesh Maharaj in a dancing encounter with the haunting poetry of Jalaluddin Rumi, as they celebrate the seamless confluence of ancient and contemporary African and Indian rhythms.

The  hour-long explosion of dance has been collaboratively created by the full company: Sifiso Khumalo, Jabu Siphika, Lliane Loots, Zinhle Nzama, Mthoko Mkhwanazi, Sbonga Ndlovu, Siseko Duba, Ndumiso Dube, and special guest Manesh Maharaj.

“We are beyond delighted to continue with our Park DANCES in collaboration with the Durban Botanic Gardens Trust and to have this opportunity to once again share this incredibly beautiful living space with audiences,” says Artistic Director Lliane Loots. “#2 is going to be a delight of the senses as we collaborate with the incredible Manesh Maharaj and his own virtuosity as one of South Africa’s most skilled Kathak dancers”.

This is a family-friendly performance and audiences may bring picnics and blankets to sit on. Entrance opens at 4pm for patrons to settle in, enjoy a picnic or a stroll around the gardens before the show begins at 4.30pm.

There is ample safe parking at the main Botanic Gardens Visitors Complex entrance. All COVID-19 safety protocols are in place, and masks must be worn. There is a maximum audience of 100 per show with demarcated areas to sit. Tickets are R100 and must be booked and paid for in advance – there are no door sales. To book contact Clare on flatfootdancecompany@gmail.com

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