Victor Mecoamere
Victor Mecoamere
Sowetan is spearheading a multifaceted anti-crime campaign through two major artistic events.
They are the long-running Stop Crime Drama Festival and the sixth yearly Divas' Concert.
Artists featuring in the Divas' Concert, which will be held on April 29 at Supersport Park, Centurion, include Judith Sephuma, Rebecca Malope, Sibongile Khumalo, Letta Mbulu, Mafikizolo, and international stars India Arie and Oleta Adams.
The Divas Concert, which has been rallying revellers to speak out and act against the abuse of women and children, will be staged by promoter Morris Roda.
The media sponsors are Sowetan, Sunday World and SABC2. The theme is "Together Fighting Crime and the Abuse of Women and Children".
The drama festival will be held at the Mmabana Cultural Centre in Mmabatho in North West, on April 13, April 14 and April 15.
Eighteen community-based amateur drama groups will present plays with a strong anti-crime themes at the festival, which is part of the Aggrey Klaaste Nation Building Foundation's portfolio of youth and community development activities.
The chief organisers of the festival, Julian Seleke-Mokoto and Martin Koboekae, both established professional playwrights, directors and actors, initiated the festival in 1999 to implant an anti-crime culture in young people.
The festival has been staged in different parts of the country.
Several professional artists help with auditions and rehearsals.
Auditions will be at the Taung Mmabana Cultural Centre today, the Mmabatho Mmabana Cultural Centre tomorrow and at a yet-to-be-named venue in Klerksdorp on Sunday.
The festival in North West is being sponsored by the North West Department of Arts and Culture and the National Arts Council.
Koboekae and Seleke-Mokoto will stage the KwaZulu-Natal leg of the festival in August and the Gauteng leg in October.