GALOOME SHOPANE The Mangaung Cultural Festival, most popularly known as Macufe, is set to dazzle audiences with a star studded line-up.
This year’s event will see Grammy award nominees, Kerri Hilson and Anthony Hamilton, join their African counterparts on the musical stage.
Local talent will include Hugh Masekela, Lira and Thandiswa Mazwai.
The Department of Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation’s Tshwarelo Malakoane says Macufe, which started 16 years ago, attracts hundreds of thousands of music and art lovers annually.
Malakoane says Macufe started out as just an idea and “we did not anticipate that it will be as big as it is today.”
“We never believed that it would become Africa’s cultural pilgrimage of choice,” he explains.
He says Macufe’s success is owed to the people, “It’s the people who have broadened the festival, they have made it a calendar event and festival of choice.”
“It doesn’t get any better than this,” says Malakoane.
Even though the main attraction to Macufe is the musical performances, the festival dishes out other forms of artistic outlets, iIncluding arts and crafts exhibitions, comedy, poetry and a soccer spectacle known as the Macufe Cup amongst other things. This year’s match will be between local team Bloemfontein Celtic and Soweto giants Kaizer Chiefs.
The sweet sixteen event promises to deliver as expected. “The festival has transcended into a phenomenon,” explains Malakoane.
Malakoane says Macufe “ is a global event that has transcended boundaries.”
Macufe will take place from the fourth to the thirteenth of October.
