7 September 2007
Hundreds of Gauteng residents are expected to brave the summer heat to
witness the colourful Gauteng Pale Ya Rona Carnival which takes place on
Saturday, 8 September. The Carnival parade will start from the National School
of Arts in Braamfontein, through the Streets of Braamfontein via the Nelson
Mandela Bridge and ending with an explosion of entertainment at the Newtown
Park. Gauteng Premier Mbhazima Shilowa will lead the parade in one of the
floats.
The following streets will be closed to allow the smooth procession of the
parade; Hoof, Ameshoff, Stiemens, Jorissen, De korte, De beer, Bertha, Queen
Elizabeth, Carr, Pim, Bree, Jeppe, Ntemi Piliso, Becker and Mirriam Makeba
Streets.
Every year, September is devoted to Heritage and Tourism Month and the
Gauteng Pale Ya Rona Carnival serves as a milestone event to launch the
Provincial Heritage Month programme.
The Carnival is part of the Creative Industries Strategy which is aimed at
developing the creative industries to contribute to economic growth, job
creation, community development and urban regeneration.
Since preparations for this year's carnival started, hundreds of Gauteng
communities have benefited through skills development and job creation.
Ten (10) Production Assistants trainees, four of whom are women, have been
contracted to build floats and costumes and further 50 women have been
contracted for six weeks to produce 500 costumes per region in preparation for
the hosting of the third Gauteng Carnival under the theme âPale Ya Ronaâ
(meaning telling our story or ours to tell)
Over 7 000 participants from across Gauteng will parade in the 3,5 km route
of the carnival spectacle from the National School of Arts in Braamfontein down
the streets of Braamfontein to Newtown.
"Across the world carnivals combines performing and visual arts into a
celebration of collective identity and community aspiration. In Brazil and
throughout the Caribbean, carnivals have proved to be a major tourist
attraction, bringing in millions of dollars in revenue.
We, therefore, invite the people of Gauteng to come and revel in the Pale Ya
Rona Carnival," said MEC Creecy.
The Carnival represent months of preparation which has included drumming and
choreography workshops, design, costume and mask making, welding, marshal
training and many other duties.
Enquiries:
Nomazwe Ntlokwana
Tel: 011 355 2578
Cell: 083 507 8068
Issued by: Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Gauteng
Provincial Government
7 September 2007
Source: SAPA
Theminkosi
