Pilani Bubu performing at the Folklore Festival launch. Picture: Supplied
Returning for a third edition with a diverse line-up of storytellers across a series of shows is the Folklore Festival. A unique cultural opening event took place at the National School of Arts Theatre in Braamfontein on August 7.
The launch promises an immersive experience, blending music, storytelling, and heritage. Festival director Pilani Bubu unveiled the line-up for August and September, featuring diverse artists and disciplines.
In a statement, organiser said the event coincides with Women's Month and Heritage Month, focusing on social justice, black liberation, and community building. With performances and DJ sets, the evening was aimed to connect attendees with the storytellers and foster a deeper appreciation for South Africa's rich cultural tapestry.
The festival is will take place in three cities; Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town, spanning over seven weeks during August and September.
Week one is the launch. Week two is for art, theatre and folk Jazz. Week three is literature and alternative folk. Week four is spoken word, poetry and band. Week five is folk tales, exhibitions, film screenings and folk selectors. Week six is literature, acoustic folk, oral traditions and family. Week seven is a reprise of Folklore festival day one and two.
Opening and closing off the evening of day one of the launch was an intentional and folkloric DJ set by Nicky B, followed by a performance by Bubu herself with a band.
Taking charge to make sure all goes well at the 2024 Folklore Festival is festival director Bubu. At the young age of nine, she discovered and recognised her ability to sing and this piqued her interest in music and musical instruments.
Already known to some as a TV presenter, singer and marketing person, Bubu says she would like to be remembered as an indelible storyteller who is able to create a platform that allows her to express herself in multiple dimensions that is able to tell the stories of South Africa and take that to the world.
When asked asked if the success of the festival is becoming everything she had hoped for, Bubu said: “We have somehow made very little go a long way, and I am incredibly proud of being able to really be about community, to look at the numbers and say we will all going to have a share from this, we are all going to be able to do this.”
She added that she wants people is to engage in indigenous knowledge system, whether they are travelling through the past or they are modernised. There is something to behold because everybody has something to impart.
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