Mapungubwe Arts Festival set to rock Limpopo in December

Limpopo is gearing up to celebrate the 13th annual Mapungubwe Arts Festival, which will see a three-day experience of arts and culture, expected to draw crowds in and to the province.

The Mapungubwe Arts Festival 

The Department of Arts and Culture have promised that this year, the Mapungubwe Arts Festival promises to be bigger and better.

The festival will be showcasing music entertainment, by artists who are both well-known and loved, and those who are aspiring. Some of the musical inclusions include jazz and Gospel. Exhibitions, plays and dramas will add to the music entertainment in a celebration of cultural heritage. 

South Africans are invited to experience the beauty of the province and to support and celebrate arts, culture, heritage and traditions.

Local artists from Limpopo make up 80% of the line-up of both the Gospel and jazz festivals.

Oliver Mtukudzi, a highly acclaimed Zimbabwean artist will be gracing the stage this year.

There will be no artists from overseas invited to perform this year. This decision was made by the Limpopo officials following criticism for inviting acts from abroad as the main acts in previous years. Prior main acts included the likes of Babyface and Tamia, as a means of attracting crows, though they come with bigger budgets.

Thandi Moraka Limpopo MEC for Arts and Culture stated that American and European artists normally don’t honour the invitations and only ends up increasing the prices of the tickets. She added that there will be tighter security during the festival this year. 

“We promote Mapungubwe as a renowned world heritage site in our province because of the rich history in this area,” says Moraka. “Events such as this festival positively contributes towards improving the economic growth of the region through tourism and job creation.”

The department aims to bring people together in a national building exercise to showcase the best of the province. There will be many activities for visitors to participate in, including a marathon, golf challenge, cultural pageant, a biker’s rally, cultural carnival and a comedy night.

“We are known to be peaceful with warm and welcoming citizens. We call upon our people to open their arms to receive droves of people and revellers coming to attend the festival,” says Moraka. “Our aim is not to make a profit from the festival, but to market our province and show our talent. The money we collect will help to reduce some of our expenditure.” 

The festival will see residents and visitors enjoying a range of cultural activities this festive season. The theme of this year’s festival is ‘The melting pot of Africa’s cultures.’

This festival and the activities are hosted in a collaborative partnership between the Department of Arts and Culture, Polokwane Municipality, South African Broadcasting Corporation and Limpopo Tourism Agency. 

The Details

• The festival will be happening at the Peter Mokaba Stadium from 12 – 15 December 2019. 
• Tickets are available at Computicket for R150.
• The festivities will begin at the ABC Park to Jack Botes Hall on 12 December. 
• The first day will also be when the fashion show and Miss Mapungubwe beauty pageant will be taking place at the Jack Botes Hall. 
• There will also be a comedy night at Polokwane Cricket Fields.
• The concert itself will feature the likes of Noko Moswete, Syleena Johnson, Sho Madjozi and Makhadzi.
• The main event at the old Peter Mokaba Stadium on 14 December will feature artists including King Monada, Da Capo, Master KG and CK, Mopedi and King Salama.
• On the final day of the festival, there will be a horse show and family fun day at Polokwane Rugby Fields.