SLiPStellenbosch Literary Project ZIPHOZAKHE HLOBO
Rhythm, word, vibrancy, artistic alliances, faculties and flairs: these words best describe the fusion that is conceived in each Radikal Xpression display and are the source of the movement’s slogan “connected in rhythm and word”.
The vision behind the movement is to discover, develop and promote artists to an extent that they feel ready to spread their wings in the larger art industry. It also aims to familiarise performing artists – particularly musicians and poets primarily used to working in studio – with the live-show aspect of the business, from administration to live performances. Indeed, the movement continues to set its bar high for the performance scene, and concomitantly gives new artists a platform, such as its traditional session “My Life in Art”, which will be hosted twice this year, in March and November.
Established in May 2013 by Ziphozakhe Hlobo, the movement’s primary goal this year is to host shows in the townships, beginning in Khayelitsha. This newly implemented vision came after some of Radikal Xpression’s resident artists had been coordinating and facilitating an arts-in-action workshop project founded and supervised by the Whizz ITC Centre (Site C, Khayelitsha), under the “Art is the way” theme. The workshops’ reception in the targeted township was more than pleasing, triggering a consciousness that more artistic activity is needed in the townships, and that the time has come for movements to bridge the gap between the so-called mainstream and township art industries in Cape Town.
“Silence is a killer, silence will never protect you; ukuthula kukufa, ukuthula akusoze kukhusele.” This was the mantra of five Radikal Xpression female poets (Ziphozakhe Hlobo, Winnie Mabindla, Zenande Gxabela, Sinethemba Mbovane and Christie van Zyl) during their show, Confessions of Wom(b)en, held at Ragazzi Live Bar in August 2013.
Described as ‘“five journeys of womanhood”, the show attracted Cape Town TV, which broadcasted it on National Women’s Day in the same month, and because of the overwhelmingly thrilling reception, it is scheduled to be performed again this year in August. For the organisers, this was confirmation that Cape Town needs more poetry shows with women’s stories as their focal point, and that a larger spectrum of female poets must partake in such feminist platforms. Hence, the movement plans to make the show bigger this year by allowing other female poets to feature in the production and taking it to different Cape Town areas.
For 2014, we have the following planned:
11 March: Radikal Xpression slot at the 2014 Zabalaza Festival
15 March: My Life in Art
12 April: Xpressions of Love
June and July: Art Administration workshops
August, September and October: Confessions of Wom(b)en
November: My Life in Art
People can also expect plenty of collaborations with various Cape Town art movements. Radikal Xpression is dedicated to develop the arts industry as a whole, believing that it is vital to do so in order for artists to co-exist in a healthy art industry to make it sustainable.
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