cape town south africa

Cape Minstrel Festival

3 January Cape Town, the Cape Minstrel Festival will be a one of the highlights on the Cape Town Events calender:
make sure you don't miss it...!

don't know what it is? continue reading:

“It’s midnight on New Year’s Eve in Cape Town. In Bo-Kaap, at the foot of Signal Hill, people flock to the pavements lining the narrow streets. Here and there small stalls have set up where boerewors, samoosas or koeksisters can be bought. Karima’s little shop in Rose Street is bursting at the seams…”
“At first it’s a rumour. One can hear they’re coming, whispered by hundreds of mouths. After a while a steady beat and a solid melody drift up from the direction of Wale Street.”1

“ On January 2nd, the traditional “Tweede Nuwe Jaar” is celebrated. On this day the Coons take to the streets of central Cape Town for the road march, one of the most important events of the New Year festival. All along the roads, people are massed on the sidewalks to watch the Coons. They have come to enjoy a free show of colour and song. The road march is an occasion everybody can enjoy, without having to buy a ticket to a stadium. They marvel at the colours and the design of the uniforms, enjoy t he marching and dancing of the members of the troupes and listen to the bands playing the old carnival march tunes.”

“Christmas choirs are not choirs but brass bands. Originally, groups of singers used to go out on Christmas Eve and sing carols for their friends in the street in front of their houses. Then singers gave place to all male players of string instruments and, at the beginning of the 20th century, ‘choirs’ were composed of violins, cellos, guitars and banjos with possibly a piano accordion. Nowadays Christmas Choirs feature mostly saxophones, brass instruments, guitars and banjos.”

Members of the coloured working class living in the Cape Peninsula have been the main participants in this carnival. In their colourful costumes and black and white faces they have ushered in the New Year in Cape Town with march, songs and dance for the last 100 years.

for more info: Cape Minstrel Festival

article on Cape Minstrel Carnival in the Cape Times:
" The Cape Minstrel Carnival with its parades, music and songs in the streets of Cape Town over the New Year period, is one of the oldest and most popular public cultural events in South Africa, with roots dating as far back as December 1, 1834, when the abolition of slavery was first celebrated with street promenades.... read more

posted by molo @ 9:36 AM