JUMP THE MUSIC TRAIN

OUR FIRST STAGE PRODUCTION!!!

Dear Friends,

Before David Kramer left for London he persuaded me not to open my Zoo season before February as the winds blow in January! Well, we have just had the stillest January in years! I am opening with a real bang from the 1st of Feb with, "Jump the Music Train" This is the story of the extraordinary, Khayelitsha United Mambazo. It tells the story of their migration from the Eastern Cape homelands, to the shacks of Cape Town. Theirs is a story of wonder and success that has been inspirational to work on. I first meet this group of 10 singers when Pieter Dirk Uys put us together at the Voorkamer Festival, which they took by storm.



We have created a show that combines the joy and beauty of Mambazo music, with the story of young man and woman's journey to Khayelitsha. " Lennox's story" is a moving and real picture of how history has created a mass movement of landless people into Cape Town. Yet, in one generation, university graduates have emerged from the shacklands.



Yes! you will taste a little township culture, and you will witness the melodic proof that 'positivity is alive', right here, in the story of the Khayelitsha United Mambazo.



The food is a real east African 3 course special : with samoosas, magic Briyanees (vegetarian and

chicken), and fresh fruit ice-cream. Simple, light and tasty, served in the safari style of

tables under the stars, seated on canvas, folding chairs.

COME, JUMP the MUSIC TRAIN WITH US!





Starring

Nicholas Ellenbogen

Astara Mwakalumbwa

and the

Khayelitsha United Mambazo

Directed by

Luke Ellenbogen

We have 3 preview shows on the 1st, 2nd and 3rd of Feb where you can have dinner in the lions cages, plus show for R120. Show only is R60. Tables must be booked urgently, as dinner numbers will be limited.The production will run through February, Wednesdays to Saturdays. Parking is much closer now and the lighting has been improved further.



To book phone 082 8463818






THIS IS US!

I realised you might not know who we are!

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KICKING OFF THE YEAR!

As Bulelani from the Thokozani Brothers is doing up here...

Khayelitsha is busy, the summer is still hot and our work does not wait for us!

2007 is promising to be an incredibly rich year. It feels like we've been going for a month and it's actually only a week.

We've had a few conversations with the good people from the one man can campaign check out www.genderjustice.org/onemancan and the toolkits are ready to be implemented! Sonke is going to work with us in the first three months of the year to engage the community of Khayelitsha in a variety of ways, murals, marches, training etc.

Our friends across the province in all the towns we visited during 16 days were very motivated and I do not intend to let them down. We are working hard to get our training programme nailed down to a firm plan.

Another area we are developing is work with the boys that go to initiation school and the men that return. There are various aspects that affect health that need some awareness pre and post and we are very excited about this avenue of work.

As Pati would remind us, the area of crime and gangsterism is essential to focus on when working with men. We look forward to working with the Chrysalis academy and the salesians insitute this year.

I'm very hyped about a trip I'm going on next week with David, my regional coordinator and Marisca my colleague who manages the OVC program in Khayelitsha.

We are going to visit Umzi Wethu in Port Elizabeth, it combines wilderness work with leadership with youth at risk, it sounds amazing, watch this space for the impact.

Well, a few words to kick off the year, all I can say further is that I hope you are all well, and come and listen to our gigs!