Sharpeville. – There’s no better way for Sharpeville residents to celebrate Youth Month in June than with visual art and music.
From June 1st to 30th, the Diniso Arts Center will host events dedicated to Youth Month every Saturday and Sunday. The event kicked off with the visual art exhibition “Baby Image Art Works Exhibition” by Iva-Nyaniso Diniso, which officially opened at 14:00 from June 1st to 2nd.
Works by Iva-Nyaniso Diniso from ages 3 to 16 will be on display.
Iga-Makulu Diniso of the Diniso Art Center said that the Baby Art Exhibition is a concept to showcase children’s art works to the public because early paintings are done in the infant stage.
“Our philosophy is to preserve art in its infancy and to nurture child artists in creative spaces. I started archiving my sons’ art when they were three years old. The youngest is named Iva-Nyaniso Diniso. Visual Arts & Graphics Design (K) held the solo exhibition “IVA Infant -Images Exhibition 2015″ – Block Art Department of the Var University of Technology,” said Diniso.
Iga-Makhulu Diniso launched the Baby Art Show in 1997 at the Sharpeville Arts Resource Centre.
A Youth Music Conversation about music, musicians and bands in Sharpeville will be held June 9-8. In terms of musical genres, Diniso said there will be tributes to the late Sharpeville musicians Vernon “Mgabababa” Molefe and Semba “Lollipop Boy” Lehlakola.
“Molefe was a go-getter who happened to meet Lebo M (Lebohang Morake of The Lion King fame) at the Pelican nightclub in Soweto. It is said that on June 16, 1976, he protested against the Bantu education system After the student uprising, Molefe went to Union House in Pretoria to confront the then education minister. He was thereafter harassed by the security services until he was exiled to Lesotho and traveled to the United States with Lebo M.
It is said that in the United States, Molefe and others once supported themselves by playing the accordion.
“They became great musicians until Vernon was assassinated. His music albums in South Africa were ‘Mgababa- Umfana O Mncane ne Accordion Yakhe’ produced by Almon Memela and one in the United States was ‘Free Spirit’. Thembaba Lehlakola became popular at a very young age, he has two music albums “My Fisrt Love- Lollipop Boy”, produced by Mac Mathunjwa, in which the song “Lollipop Boy” was composed by Moses Thipenyane and Joshua Tladi, and “My First Love” The song was written by Jimmy Mojapelo. The other album was Son of Africa, Little Themba and The Black Five produced by Jimmy Mojapelo.
Diniso said Lehlakola was a musician who was part of the Ketane cultural movement in the 1980s, the era of the famous “street boys” Oupa Pooe and Paul Ndlovu from Sharpeville.
On June 15th and 16th, children and teenagers will participate in storytelling activities; on June 22nd and 23rd, children and teenagers will participate in musical activities; on June 29th and 30th, children and teenagers will participate in theater and tourism activities .
“The initiative includes involving child artists and their parents. Film clips of Julius Sello Malema and Mbuyiseni Quinton Ndlosi in their youth will be shown on June 22 and 23, as well as Naledi Chirwa’s film clips. June 29 and 30 Today we will be watching music video clips from Truth (Iva-Nyaniso Diniso) as well as Bikos Manna and Mfundo.
Diniso said the activities, events, festivals and exhibitions organized by the Diniso Art Center are in line with the tourism industry. Young women working in the cake and “magwenya” industries, as well as in hospitality and crafts, can call 083 757 3104.
For more information about the exhibition, please contact Iga-Makhulu Diniso on 084 282 9160.
