Mass Solidarity Movement
By A.k.a Mzamani, November 13, 2022
This is “Ntirhisano Revolutionary House” , said the roaring young lions who hails from Khayelitsha townships in Cape Town. When Makoti first walked in at Ntirhisano Community Centre (NCC) early this week, he was overjoyed by the fact that the space is available and meant for grassroots artists and activists. He came back with other artists and without saying it, the atmosphere at Ntirhisano Community Centre (NCC) made these young men feel at home. They immediately and wholeheartedly embarked on solidarity discussions, started rehearsals and I was spellbound. Their performance reminded me of resistance popular art and culture that took-down the apartheid regime. Because of the ongoing everyday socioeconomic miseries. Which these young fellows articulate deep into your consciousness. Even if you may not understand the meaning of the words. The rhythm, motions and sound will make you wanna know where they were all this time. Their storytelling is striking and triggers the nostalgia of mass solidarity emotions, that caused Jericho walls to fall and due to the present high levels of poverty and inequality so ubiquitous in our societies. These young fellows will make you feel you are part of the storytelling and Jericho walls will fall again.
Standing, Makoti with his fellow artists from Khayelisha at Ntirhisano Community Centre (NCC) in Salt River, Cape Town. Friday, 11 November, 2022.
This is what NCC is precisely about. It was founded on the premises of resistance popular arts and cultures from which District Six, SophiaTown and Cato manor mushroomed, in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, respectively.
Notwithstanding, there are similar historical grassroots villages, communities, townships, towns and cities everywhere in the world. Where the poor, oppressed and marginalised are compelled to be independent and creative in sorting out livelihoods. In Khayelitsha, Gugulethu, Mitchells Plain, Masiphumelele, Marikana, Covid and the number is endless. Whether formal, informal or illegal, their desperations are overwhelmingly caused by colonialism, apartheid and the present neocolonial policies.
Ntirhisano is therefore committed to express solidarity with resistance cultures. Particularly that is responding to the everyday lives of the poor and marginalised communities. And I feel honoured to announce that Ntirhisano will be hosting the first weekly radical open mic show, starting from this coming Friday, 18 November 2022. The show will start from 17h00 PM to 19h00 PM. At Ntirhisano Community Centre (NCC), Salt River, Cape Town
Purposely, the young lions requested that I introduce the show by telling the audience what NCC is about. They also insisted I must express that no one deserves to be discriminated against because of their nationality. Because there are no borders in Africa. That the current borders are colonial and fake.
ALUTA CONTINUA. FREE ENTRANCE. COME ONE COME ALL.
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