There were so many highlights in the show due to the huge scope of the event encompassing a 3 day music festival, a fashion show, a business exhibition, a SMME and NGO exhibition and youth zone. The vibe of the event was electric with the constant sound of traditional drumming, singing and dancing throughout the whole festival. The energy of the Khayelitsha festival was evident as soon as you walked through the entrance!
Visitors, both local and international were welcomed to the event by event managers with the assistance of the Khayelitsha Dream Girls, a group of young women in Khayelitsha active in the community, who were given the responsibility of manning the welcome desk and being the friendly faces of the festival. Staff were kitted out in highly recognizable colourful tshirts thanks to the recycling sponsors, Collectacan, Mondi, The Glass Recycling Company and The Rose Foundation, which ensured visitors and participants were able to approach staff immediately.
The Business Exhibition created a networking heaven entailing large corporates, NGOs and SMMEs from local townships. Many of the SMMEs learned valuable business skills beforehand in a workshop prior to the event to enable them with an optimal exhibition experience at the festival. The 70 SMME's that were chosen to participate in the festival gained huge exposure from the browsing public and other businesses. Large corporates such as Standard Bank and the South African Post Office also learned of the business opportunities available to them in Khayelitsha.
The Youth Zone was a huge success, an area designed especially for the youth of Khayelitsha, yet was also amicable for non-local visitors to enjoy and experience local music acts, grass roots NGOs and other institutions geared towards youngsters. Thanks to Ryan Dalton (aka Cape Town Brown) who delivered a spectacular performance as MC and additional thanks to Simpiwe Mabuya who managed all the entertainers to create a smoothly operating production. The crowd's response spoke volumes in assessment of the Youth Zone's success.
On the main stage, superstars such as Ntando and Ratex fulfilled as headliners after numerous performances from local Khayelitsha bands who flourished in front of their home crowd. Saturday evening saw the much awaited Khayelitsha Festival fashion show sponsored by Heart FM and Soft Sheen Carson. Five designers from Khayelitsha were nurtured through the fashion show process thanks to Claire Alexander (festival project manager), Melanie Rossline and Calvin Scully (fashion show producers) to create an fabulously professional fashion show in the heart of Khayelitsha. The media coverage and hype surrounding the fashion show was fantastic, launching the local designers into the limelight through interviews from newspapers and SABC.
Overall the festival was a huge success considering the challenges faced by hosting the festival in a township. Most of the feedback from visitors, participants and artists is hugely positive and we will continue the legacy of the festival with early organization commencing next year. Events such as the Khayelitsha Festival only get bigger and better and we will carry the lessons learned from the first implementation into establishing a truly global event in Khayelitsha.
The management would like to thank all those who contributed to the success and organization of the event and further details of any participant can be obtained from Claire Alexander, Project Manager on 021 442 9628 or claire@heartofhealing.org.za