Celebrate Heritage Month online

As the country continues to open up the economy and ease national lockdown regulations, the South African State Theatre keeps arts and music lovers entertained from the safety of their homes. 

This Heritage Month, the State Theatre offers entertainment through an online programme which will be headlined by award-winning jazz music sensation Zoë Modiga.

The virtual concert will premiere on 27 September at 3pm, on the theatre’s online platform. The State Theatre event will be Modiga’s first full-piece performance in 2020. 

The State Theatre describes Modiga as an artist who represents the present and future of South African music, drawing on the roots of African storytelling, jazz composition and Motown soul, yet creating a sound entirely her own.

This month’s programme will also feature culture and heritage enthusiast and revered musician Mbuso Khoza, who will perform Amahubo in Concert on Heritage Day, 24 September. This premiere will also feature singer Zawadi Yamungu.  

Khoza says the event seeks to encourage people to embrace and fall in love with their histories. 

“The concert comes as a call for the preservation of our heritage, while encouraging Africans to stay in love with who they are and where they come from. Amahubo are the songs of the ancients,” says Khoza.

Also coming in September is the musical play Fela and the Kalakuta Queens, which was performed at the State Theatre in 2019 and tells the story of the late Fela Kuti. This is archival footage and not a live show. It can be enjoyed until 30 September.  

Another musical extravaganza brought to theatre lovers is Sneeuwitjie, an Afrikaans version of the pantomime Snow White, which will run until 27 September.

On 25 September, the State Theatre will host a free webinar in association with the South African National Antarctic Programme. It will focus on the importance of indigenous languages in the professional space, under the topic: “Art in our Languages - Cultivating Stories, Preserving our Languages.”

Theatre lovers must subscribe to the State Theatre’s YouTube channel to watch the productions. Tickets can be purchased from Webtickets and cost between R70 and R100.