Newtown DIWALI Festival 2006
Regular Representers will remember the call for entry for the Newtown Diwali festival… The festival is on Saturday the 7 October 2006 and looks to be even bigger and better than last year. So save your appetite, put the family in the car and go downtown to beautiful Newtown and make the most of the myriad of cultures and specifically, the Hindu culture in Johannesburg.
HAPPY 120th BIRT…
HDAY TO JOHANNESBURG and HAPPY DIWALI to everyone from Represent.
Billed as the Festival of Lights, this year’s event will also serve as the official launch pad for the milestone 120th Birthday Celebrations for the City of Johannesburg.
Festival Director, Nisha Moodley:
“The Newtown Diwali Festival 2006 is a multi-cultural event and an excuse for us, Johannesburger’s to show-off our diversity. As such, this year, there’s a whole lot more on offer from food and retail stores to an Esoteric Fair and free Children’s Art Workshops at Museum Africa. Free Indian Dance Workshops will also be available at Moving into dance across the road from the square. There is more information about this on the web at www.newtowndiwalifestival.co.za. Then, there’s the entertainment and we haven’t spared our budget to bring some of the top names in the South African entertainment industry,” said Moodley.
Heading up the entertainment line-up is last year’s Kora Award winner, celebrated jazz muso Kýnlý, who has been captivating local and international audiences with his unique brand of up-tempo Afro Jazz and Afro-Beat numbers. He will be collaborating with Johannesburg born brothers, Shri Shiva Padiachi and Shri Rajan Padiachi, both accomplished musicians and teachers, as well as being the sons of the late Vella Padiachi of Ranjeni Orchestra fame. They will also be joined by Shri Rajan Padiachi’s son Mahesh Padiachi a pleasing artiste of great promise.
The amazing talents of Indian classical maestro, Patrick Ngcobo has also been secured for the Newtown Diwali Festival 2006. Trained in India, South African-born Ngcobo is the first South African of African descent to sing Indian classical music professionally. Ngcobo has put together a more contemporary music selection for his performance at the Newtown Diwali Festival, which will also include “Hamba Malume”, a dizzying fusion of Kwaito and Indian Classical music, which is currently racing up the music charts.
One of South Africa’s most loved soap stars, Jack Devnarian, more popularly known as Rajesh Kumar of Isidingo fame, said about the event, “Last year’s programme was just brimming over with highlights that thrilled and entertained thousands of Jo’burgers who took the festivities into the heart of the city. Our event on Saturday 7th October is set to be even bigger and better.”
Added to the entertainment line-up is a bit of comic relief, featuring, Krijay Govender former Isidingo co-star and stand-up comedian, in a much anticipated, side-splitting comedy routine with Leandra Reddy is guaranteed to set the tone for what is promised to be an entertainment line-up not to be missed.
But, that’s not all – apart from fashion shows showcasing the latest in Indo-fusion design a massive fireworks display and dance spectacular by the Gauteng Indian Dance Alliance, the Newtown Cultural Precinct is going to be the venue for the which will culminate in a Lotus FM Bollywood Street Party.
For all those party people who want to end the night off with at a bang. An amazing after party will be held at the Baseline in the Newtown hosted by JHB Desi. This is one event not to miss!!
So, with so much to see, hear, do & and eat, there’s no excuse! Come celebrate the City of Johannesburg’s 120th birthday and experience Diwali, the Festival of Lights – South African style!
The Newtown Diwali Festival 2006 takes place in the Newtown Cultural Precinct on Saturday, the 7th of October from 11am to late.
Entrance is free.
Click here to see our pics from last year.
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July 2006
The 2006 Newtown Diwali Festival is scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 7th 2006 at the Newtown Cultural Precinct, they’re looking for cultural performers… Read all about it below and enter before the 31 July 2006.
An invitation is hereby extended to all cultural groups in and around Gauteng to submit an expression of interest to participate in the Newtown Diwali Festival.
The following have been identified as Categories for participation:
Song
Music
Dance
Other (specify)
Kindly be advised that once all the expressions of interest are received, the Newtown Diwali Festival Committee will initiate a process to screen items to ensure a balanced catering for all participating linguistic groups, as well as a balance in the categories of performances being presented.
Kindly submit all Expressions of Interest to the undermentioned by no later then 31 July 2006.
Subashni Moonsamy
083 772 0862
OR
Ravi Naidoo
082 923 5622
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November 2005
CLICK HERE TO SEE SOME DIWALI IN NEWTOWN PICS
Review: DIWALI in NEWTOWN
We popped into the Diwali festival in Newtown at lunchtime on Saturday and thought for a moment that we had been beamed to the the Victoria Market in downtown Durban – it was so wonderful to see Mary Fitzgerald square humming and buzzing with the Indian community and lots of fascinated visitors.
We had a bite of some mutton and chicken curry and both were delicious but HOT HOT HOT as we expected – there were loads of yummy savoury and sweet traditional dishes on offer at reasonable prices – well worth a drive to Newtown.
Many of the visitors were dressed in bightly coloured traditional attire, it was fantastic to see the Hindu community representing their exotic and intriguing culture. We caught a little bit of a live band playing tablas and singing traditional Hindi music which further transported us to Chatsworth. The Hindu community in Johannesbug must have felt proud to be en masse in the heart of the city sharing their secrets with the broader Joburg community. We can’t wait for next year! Happy Diwali!
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21 October 2005
Now that we’re all back in touch with our inner city (although some never lost touch!) it’s time to start enjoying the diversity of cultures that inhabit it. We’ll keep you informed of any cultural events that take place like the Chinese New Year in 2006.
Get Ready for Diwali, the Hindu Festival of lights – Do you know what Diwali is all about?
Wikipedia gives us the lowdown:
Dipývali (also transliterated Deepavali; Sanskrit: row of lights) or Diwýli (contracted spelling) is the Hindu Festival of Lights. It is also a significant festival for the Sikh and Jain faiths.
Typically, celebrations focus on lights and lamps, particularly traditional diyas, although electric lights have become widespread. Fireworks may also be associated with the festival in some regions.
Customs vary according to faith and region. For example, although Diwali is sometimes referred to as the “Hindu New Year”, the new year is celebrated at different times according to different regional calendar traditions.
For one day only, on the 22nd of October, comes the hot and spicy Newtown Diwali Festival 2005.
Based on the Hindu celebration of Deepavali (Festival of Lights), more commonly known as Diwali, this event will bathe the inner city in a splash of glorious colour and vibrancy.
Hosted by the City of Joburg, the Newtown Diwali Festival 2005 is a unique partnership between the City of Joburg Property Company, the Gauteng Indian Dance Alliance, the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA), Arts and Culture, Newtown Cultural Precinct, and the High Commission of India and Consulate General of India.
It has a programme designed to celebrate Johannesburg’s cultural diversity, and can be enjoyed by all of the city’s people.
For this festival, the Gauteng Indian Dance Association will showcase its most prolific performers in dance works inspired by the Festival of Lights. They will also produce special collaborative performances with the highly respected Moving into Dance Company.
“The Newtown Diwali Festival 2005 will mark the beginning of an annual celebration of Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, in the Newtown Cultural Precinct – to celebrate inform and share the experience and encourage participation in the rich cultural heritage of Diwali with a wider South African Audience,” said organiser Nisha Moodley.
It is estimated that 5000 people plus 250 residents of old age homes and 250 children from designated orphanages will be in attendance in Newtown at any given time during the day, with a total of more than 10 000 people coming through Newtown on this day.
The Newtown Diwali Festival 2005 takes place at the Newtown Cultural Precinct, 22nd October from 10h00 to 12pm. Entrance is free.
