The Folklore Festival, featuring many writers, will be hosted in Johannesburg, Pretoria, and Cape Town from August 7 – September 12, 2024. The theme is #WETHEFOLK.
The Folklore Festival is a celebration of African culture, customs, and community first hosted in South Africa in 2022. Rounding out South Africa's Heritage Month (September), it incorporated a day of music, poetry, dance, books, toys and workshops. Founded by award-winning storyteller Pilani Bubu, that first edition was supported by the National Arts Councils and the SAMPRA Development Fund.
The third edition will return with many new acts starting in Johannesburg on August 7 and ending in Cape Town on September 12. Audiences will be treated to storytelling, workshops, film screenings, poetry, theatre, book fairs (you can buy books), DJs, oral traditions, podcasts, art, folk music, and kids' workshops.
In their communication, the organisers said, "It is time for this community to come together again to share in culture, creativity, and heritage. To have those resonant conversations, to hold space for our shared values and to contribute to nation-building. In the theme of this year's biggest conversation for the greater South African audience, we too are contemplating 30 years of Freedom as we launch our creative platform for the year 2024: #WETHEFOLK. What you can expect is a rich line-up of Artivists and Storytellers: from authors, filmmakers, thespians, and oral traditionalists, to poets, selectors, sound curators and musicians."
People in the writing industry will be Gcina Mhlophe, Fred Khumalo, vangile gantsho, Shafinaaz Hassim, Zibuzethu Sithole, Janine Jellars, MoAfrika Wa Mokgathi, Busisekile Khumalo, bookstore owner Sewela Langeni, and many others.
Here is where you will see some of the literary folks (click here for tickets to the full festival);
Johannesburg
AUGUST 7
#WeTheFolk Press Launch: 7 AUGUST Workshop 17: The Bank, Johannesburg Ft. PILANI BUBU & NICKY B
AUGUST 8
#WeTheFolk: Free Activation. State Theatre, Pretoria Folklore Festival presents the Folk & Poetry Stage in collaboration with Black Labone's Earth Day.
AUGUST 9
#WeTheFolk: Women's Day Edition, St Lorient Gallery Pretoria Folklore Festival presents a trilogy moment for Imbokodo: An art Exhibition, Women's Book Fair with Busisekile Khumalo and Shafinaaz Hassim – themed: Writing Women in the now and live music with KATZTHESINGER, SPARTZ and PILANI BUBU.
AUGUST 24
Folklore Festival presents DUMAMA and an adult book fair with BOOK CIRCLE CAPITAL featuring authors Janine Jellars and Zibuzethu Sithole – Themed, 'Enter a generation of Young Women Writers'
AUGUST 30
Folklore Festival presents the oracle Mam' GCINA MHLOPHE supported by VANGILE GANTSHO and MOAFRIKA WA MOKGATHI.
AUGUST 31
With a weekend of kids workshops with GCINA MHLOPHE, LOGAN & FRIENDS, and INDIGENOUS INSTRUMENTS WORKSHOP & PERFORMANCES
SEPTEMBER 12
Folklore Festival presents SIBUSILE XABA and a line-up of prolific South African authors: Mbuso Nkosi, Lebogang Seale, and Fred Khumalo – themed 'Our land our stories'
The Folklore Festival is a celebration of African culture, customs, and community first hosted in South Africa in 2022. Rounding out South Africa's Heritage Month (September), it incorporated a day of music, poetry, dance, books, toys and workshops. Founded by award-winning storyteller Pilani Bubu, that first edition was supported by the National Arts Councils and the SAMPRA Development Fund.
The third edition will return with many new acts starting in Johannesburg on August 7 and ending in Cape Town on September 12. Audiences will be treated to storytelling, workshops, film screenings, poetry, theatre, book fairs (you can buy books), DJs, oral traditions, podcasts, art, folk music, and kids' workshops.
In their communication, the organisers said, "It is time for this community to come together again to share in culture, creativity, and heritage. To have those resonant conversations, to hold space for our shared values and to contribute to nation-building. In the theme of this year's biggest conversation for the greater South African audience, we too are contemplating 30 years of Freedom as we launch our creative platform for the year 2024: #WETHEFOLK. What you can expect is a rich line-up of Artivists and Storytellers: from authors, filmmakers, thespians, and oral traditionalists, to poets, selectors, sound curators and musicians."
People in the writing industry will be Gcina Mhlophe, Fred Khumalo, vangile gantsho, Shafinaaz Hassim, Zibuzethu Sithole, Janine Jellars, MoAfrika Wa Mokgathi, Busisekile Khumalo, bookstore owner Sewela Langeni, and many others.
Here is where you will see some of the literary folks (click here for tickets to the full festival);
Johannesburg
AUGUST 7
#WeTheFolk Press Launch: 7 AUGUST Workshop 17: The Bank, Johannesburg Ft. PILANI BUBU & NICKY B
AUGUST 8
#WeTheFolk: Free Activation. State Theatre, Pretoria Folklore Festival presents the Folk & Poetry Stage in collaboration with Black Labone's Earth Day.
AUGUST 9
#WeTheFolk: Women's Day Edition, St Lorient Gallery Pretoria Folklore Festival presents a trilogy moment for Imbokodo: An art Exhibition, Women's Book Fair with Busisekile Khumalo and Shafinaaz Hassim – themed: Writing Women in the now and live music with KATZTHESINGER, SPARTZ and PILANI BUBU.
AUGUST 24
Folklore Festival presents DUMAMA and an adult book fair with BOOK CIRCLE CAPITAL featuring authors Janine Jellars and Zibuzethu Sithole – Themed, 'Enter a generation of Young Women Writers'
AUGUST 30
Folklore Festival presents the oracle Mam' GCINA MHLOPHE supported by VANGILE GANTSHO and MOAFRIKA WA MOKGATHI.
AUGUST 31
With a weekend of kids workshops with GCINA MHLOPHE, LOGAN & FRIENDS, and INDIGENOUS INSTRUMENTS WORKSHOP & PERFORMANCES
SEPTEMBER 12
Folklore Festival presents SIBUSILE XABA and a line-up of prolific South African authors: Mbuso Nkosi, Lebogang Seale, and Fred Khumalo – themed 'Our land our stories'
