Zula Culture 7th of March
Celebrate Your Cape

Z: Wow the days just fly by and before you know it, it’s another Zula Culture! This time involved a little less organising as the Mopp (Month of people photography) festival was collaborating with Zula to feature a solo exhibition of Yotam Sandak’s work. Month of People Photography is an exhibition that encourages anyone with a talent or passion for photography to exhibit his or her work. It is a free platform to all and features work in a wide range of venues form the Cape flats to Long Street. If you would like to know more please go to http://www.nativesoul.blogspot.com
http://www.nativesoul.blogspot.com

J: For the Month of People Photography Yotam Sandak spied with his third eye…Urban Nature! A beautiful collection of photographs capturing movement, beautiful colours, people and nature in that exact moment of inspiration. Beautiful!!

Z: The exhibition room looked fantastic. It created such a eclectic feel with all the different frames that Yotam used to frame his work. I really liked the wines this month from the Du Preez Estate, I’m not sure if it had something to do with the price, but they were all really good quality with very reasonable prices, and that’s never a bad thing when it comes to drinking! All the wines that feature each Zula Culture stay on the menu for the whole month, and I must say they are flying off the shelf this month, must be a good grape. The back stage area was great to stand in a drink your wine with all the models getting dressed and Marite Crous applying the make up to create really beautiful looks with electric blue and doll like inspirations. I really like her as a make up artiste as she accentuates peoples features in a very theatrical way without it being overpowering, leaving a soft feminine affect that packs a striking punch.

J: We were all having a lovely time back stage with Marite and this months beautiful Zula Models, Claire, Johannita, Josselien and Lizanne. With all the garments fitting like a glove…looking like they were personally made for them! I loved Janine Booman (MissJoon) range she made for the show, feminine, stylish yet funky. Before her interview the models showed off her beautiful clothing, and then with Claire taking the lead handing out some home baked Miss Joon branded goodies! Baie oulik het ek gedink! Miss Joon available at Misfit in Long Street, which is a fabulous shop that is really empowering young designers and giving them an outlet to stock their cloths.

Z: So with everybody waiting in the wings the show opened with a performance by Ishtar. Ishtar is a dancer who is originally from Iraq and now dances and teachers in Cape Town. Her first dance was called Oriental Classical and the second dance she later performed was called Baladi style (country style). I really enjoyed her interview, as she was able to express how dance is celebrated in Iraq, and how the freedom to be a beautiful woman has always been there in the past. It’s nice when a person who has lived in a country can demystify a stereotype that is portrayed to us through media.
Seeing as we focused on the theme ‘clelebrate your Cape’ we invited Cape Tourism to be part of the evening. Mariette du Toit very kindly came to the night a gave an inspiring interview, focusing on the joys of being in Cape Town and the role that Cape Town Tourism plays. It is a shame that local people do not make as much use of this informative orginisation as tourists. There is so much to see and do in this town. Her passion for Cape Town and its creative energy rubbed of on everyone and I fully agree with the challenges she sees for the Mother Cities future.

J: This Zula Culture was a different experience for me because MOPP were featuring in the exhibition room, there was no need for me to run around making sure all the different exhibitors were all featured and happy with their displays. I also was free from organizing the stalls on the balcony, so with my idle hands I found work in polishing off Zula’s fine pizza and offering the plate of chips that had no owner (who I later found out were my boyfriends) to all the models. It also meant I was able to experience Zula Culture purely from a designers perspective exhibiting their work. I really enjoyed the personality that the models brought to my range, which has been continually evolving since my exhibition in February and still in a process of experimentation of new techniques and ideas. Misfit in Long Street stock some of my previous ranges.

Z: One act that was lovely to see was Tara and Steve Fatar. I first saw Tara sing when I arrived in Cape Town and she has grown so much as a performer and an artiste. Her vocal ability has such a range and it’s lovely to see singers who support their talent with technical understanding. I don’t think artistes realise how important it is to marry creative talent with technical training, it really is like running a race without understanding how to warm up or cool down. It can be the difference between a mediocre and an outstanding performance; it can also be the difference between a long career and a short frustrating one. There is nothing worse for a singer than to loose their voice!
After their performance Steve and Tara joined Vusa and i on the sofa. It must be so amazing to be able to perform with your family. They are usually joined by the son/brother beatboxing to complete their act. You can get a sense of who Steve is through Tara and the message reads load and clear; They are in it for the love and are naturally creatively gifted people with their genuine wisdom and love flowing through their performance and written material. Tara also has a hand in various creative projects such as Cape Town Festival and runs her own recording studio called Sibebe Studios, they are currently moving premises but keep an eye out for the name. In the mean time you can check out http://www.the-flames.com www.the-flames.com which will have information on the talented family.
The whole night ended with Bastille, a very new band but one to definitely look out for in the future. They have a funky fusion of styles from disco to reggae. I think as their confidence builds, and their unity as a band is stronger, they will really grow into their high performance songs and deliver them with the same strength that is reflected in the writing. They are bringing back the tongue and cheek, in a very cool way. It wasn’t long before the crowd were on their feet, and yes people you can let go…….come on let it go……oh my me, it feels so good….i’m, I’m DANCING!!!!!

J:I think we all are feeling it, and next month 4th of April it is ‘Time for Change’!!! Before we say goodbye, Roland , Thank you!! Roland Metcalfe is Zula’s photographer and also the one who maintains this website! Looking forward to have some of his creations up in the exhibition room! webmaster@pyxels.co.za

Till next month.

Peace and Love
Zoe & Jolette

... Zoe and Vusa interview Yotam

... Wines this month from the Du Preez Estate

... Marite Crous does make up

.... Mariette du Toit of Cape Town Tourism


... Tara and Steve Fatar


... Steve Fatar