LEGENDARY South African actor, storyteller, poet, playwright, director and author Nokugcina Elsie Mhlophe - better known as Gcina - will be telling stories at the Hilton Arts Festival on Saturday at noon, all for free.
Storytelling is traditional in Africa and Mhlophe is one of the few internationally accomplished female storytellers.
She credits her storytelling ability to her grandmother, who brought her up in Durban.
“My grandmother taught me everything about telling stories. When I was growing up, half the children in our neighbourhood would come and spend the evening at home so that they could listen to izingane- kwane [tales].”
She does her most important work through compelling performances, working to preserve storytelling as a means of keeping history alive and encouraging South African children to read.
The exhibition, in the Grindrod Bank Theatre foyer by Brent Dodd and Ed Schroeder, is linked to Gcina’s Memory House project due to open in Durban soon.
In March, the trio collaborated to stage an exhibition and this project has evolved from that.
Mhlophe will be telling stories in the lecture room next to the Grindrod Bank Theatre. At the same time, Dodd will paint a portrait of her, which will be auctioned and dunds raised will go to the Memory House, where South Africans can tell their stories.
An exhibition of the Memory House will be on in the Grindrod Theatre foyer. For more information, visit www.hilton festival.co.za - Supplied
