Minstrels aim to keep the spirit of the carnival alive in SA's Covid-19-battered entertainment scene

01 January 2022 - 14:28
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The annual Minstrel Carnival has been cancelled for the second year in a row as a result of Covid-19. On Sunday a small troupe of performers will gather at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town for a 30-minute show to keep the tradition alive.
The annual Minstrel Carnival has been cancelled for the second year in a row as a result of Covid-19. On Sunday a small troupe of performers will gather at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town for a 30-minute show to keep the tradition alive.
Image: Ashraf Hendricks

A small group of minstrels will gather at the Castle of Good Hope in Cape Town on Sunday in an effort to keep the spirit of the traditional January 2 carnival alive.

The famous carnival has been cancelled for two consecutive years due to Covid-19.

To mark the day, however, ten members of the Cape Town 7 Steps Minstrels troupe were expected to put on a 30-minute music, dance, and poetry presentation.

The event will take place in the Castle’s front courtyard where the troupe will give a demonstration “of what the public will again miss this coming new year,” said Castle Control Board CEO Calvyn Gilfellan.

The Minstrel Carnival is traditionally held on “tweede nuwejaar” (second new year) to mark a holiday granted to slaves in colonial times so they could celebrate the new year.

After slavery was abolished, the newly liberated slaves used the day to celebrate their freedom, which gave rise to the annual carnival.

Sunday's performance aims to keep the flame of this significant local tradition alive.

The castle had partnered with the Muslim & Slave Heritage Museum and the Cape Town 7 Steps Minstrels to mark the occasion.

The event was more than just symbolism, said Cape Muslim and Slave Heritage Museum curator Igshaan Higgins.

“The minstrel carnival is one of the longest-standing traditions in the Cape and considered to be an integral part of Cape Town and SA culture and history.”

This year’s event would be dedicated to the late Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, who was honoured in the struggle heroes’ photographic exhibition in the Cape Muslim & Slave Heritage Museum.

The Cape Town 7 Steps Minstrels' owner and manager Kader Muller said while Covid-19 had forced the city to cancel the event, the organisers wanted to show that the “Twiere-Nuwe-Jaar march” was “still alive and kicking”.

The troupe's visit to the Castle was also symbolic and appropriate, he said.

“It was from this very castle where the colonialists ran their abhorrent system of slavery, and its eventual abolishment was announced in 1934. The Minstrel Carnival has outlived many pandemics and obstacles, and we shall survive this one.

TimesLIVE


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