“Sout Stories” Take People back to Their Cultural Roots

The “Sout Stories” programme took Afrikaans story lovers back to their cultural roots at the Paternoster Fish Market on Friday, 5 October 2012. The programme, which was hosted by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport and Saldanha Municipality, formed part of the Annual Provincial Arts Week that took place on the West Coast this year.

The programme took place in traditional fashion with outdoor storytelling next to the beach. The cultural warmth of the event was enhanced by gellieblik fires and potjiekos.

About 50 people attended the event, which featured a stage musical, poetry, storytelling and dance performances. John Cloete, Serena van Alphen, Vernon Vraagom and Elton Lesch, were highlights of the evening’s entertainment.

REAL, a rap group from Hopefield, and jazz group African Skies from Vredenburg performed on stage. They also participated in the development workshops that took place for local people in the days leading up to the main performance. Anwell Bergh, lead guitarist of African Skies, said that the event created the ideal atmosphere to bring across a message through a story. “These performances made us proud to be Africans,” he said.

The department succeeded in achieving its aim to bring people closer to cultural heritage by co-hosting this event. Mr Benjamin Bock of the Directorate: Arts and Culture expressed his gratitude for people being able to share Afrikaans stories around the fire and the important opportunity it represents for people to preserve their cultural history.