Sponsors fail Simphiwe Dana's Black Culture Education Tour

SINGER Simphiwe Dana had such a poor response from possible sponsors for her Black Culture Education Tour that she had to dig deep into her own pockets to keep it going.

Dana, who announced the a six-city orchestral tour in February, has even occasionally used Twitter to ask for donations.

As much as the tour gets her music to the masses, the Mayine songstress said she started the tour to help, in her own way, redress the country's illiteracy challenges, which she said had "reached crisis levels".

But the tour has been dogged by lack of sponsorship and fluctuating attendances at her shows nationwide.

The initial aim was to visit various schools in Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein and East London on the tour.

Dana planned to charge for her shows at schools, and fans were asked to bring old books for donations.

She planned to revisit schools to give motivational talks to pupils, teachers and parents in the communities.

But the sponsors did not come to the party, Dana said.

"I've just realised that people have no concern but for their own lives, and I was guilty of that - we're just not wired that way, I guess," she said.

"I have even approached people that I know are wealthy and can help, but people have become desensitised."

Dana is touring with the same orchestra she played with during the shooting of her live DVD late last year, and has been performing hits from all three award-winning albums Zandisile (2004), One Love Movement on Bantu Biko Street (2006) and her current album Kulture Noir.

But with such a huge touring party, she has seen charges for accommodation, booking of venues and appearance fees of the performers soar.

Former Metro FM producer and presenter Lupi Ngcayisa, who travelled with Dana on school visits, said yesterday he was proud of her.