Marji Geldenhuys By Roxanne Reid
‘I’m Marj, large and in charge; born, bred and overfed in the Cape,’ Marji Geldenhuys quipped to a group of about 24 people squeezed into the living room of a tiny RDP house in Darling East. A musician and story teller, she was taking part in the Darling Voorkamerfest.
‘I’m Marj, large and in charge; born, bred and overfed in the Cape,’ Marji Geldenhuys quipped to a group of about 24 people squeezed into the living room of a tiny RDP house in Darling East. A musician and story teller, she was taking part in the Darling Voorkamerfest.
The Voorkamerfest is unique in South Africa. People open their homes to the public and various artists perform in their voorkamer (living room). A ticket buys you three 30-minute ‘shows’ and local taxis ferry you to the three chosen venues for that route.
It’s all a huge surprise, because you have no idea who you’re going to see perform until you get to each venue.
It’s all a huge surprise, because you have no idea who you’re going to see perform until you get to each venue.
Children and colour are hallmarks of the Darling Voorkamerfest
We booked in to our accommodation and went down to Evita se Perron – the old railway station that Pieter Dirk Uys took over as a cabaret venue in 1996. This was the central hub of Voorkamerfest activity, where we collected our tickets and browsed the craft and food stalls.
Don’t think Wild Oats market in Sedgefield, or the Neighbourgoods Market at the Biscuit Mill in Cape Town. This wasn’t of the same magnitude or quality. But for a place to get a spot of nosh before or after your show in a small rural town, it ably did its job.
Don’t think Wild Oats market in Sedgefield, or the Neighbourgoods Market at the Biscuit Mill in Cape Town. This wasn’t of the same magnitude or quality. But for a place to get a spot of nosh before or after your show in a small rural town, it ably did its job.
Foodstalls sold everything from wraps and curries to fish and boerie rolls
Locals like Darling Cellars and Darling Brew were there, and about 15 stalls selling everything from coffee, wraps and pancakes to fish and boerie rolls, even Chinese takeaways.
In the evenings, when the air got chilly, fires were lit in large barrels to warm the square and tempt visitors to linger.
In the evenings, when the air got chilly, fires were lit in large barrels to warm the square and tempt visitors to linger.
The foodstalls were abuzz before and after the shows
On Saturday morning there was a parade up and down the main road. Don’t think Rio Carnival or anything half so sophisticated; think one or two lorries and a few tractors pulling wagons full of people through the streets. Low-key and platteland quaint.
The Spring Parade, Darling Voorkamerfest
But it was hard to resist small children grinning from on high, waving so madly they were in danger of taking flight. Balloons, ribbons and headdresses supplied colour, while a clutch of somewhat headstrong horses added a touch of excitement.
What was special, though, was the community spirit, that so many kids were involved and how much they seemed to enjoy their moment in the limelight.
What was special, though, was the community spirit, that so many kids were involved and how much they seemed to enjoy their moment in the limelight.
Kids loved being part of the parade
One disappointment of the parade was that the Wynberg Girls Primary orchestra on the lead lorry were playing their clarinets and violins like mad, but the thrumming of the tractors and other vehicles completely drowned out the sound. All that effort of bussing in from Cape Town, all the hours of rehearsing for the event, lost in the clamour. Next year, I hope the Voorkamerfest organisers advise musicians taking part in the parade to bring an amplifier with them.
The 2013 Voorkamerfest included everything from one-act plays and acrobatics to singing, music and dance. We enjoyed the community involvement, the chance to visit people’s homes, see children perform a dance they had learned in a workshop, chat to taxi drivers about their town, and join the throng of happy people wandering the cordoned-off street in front of Evita se Perron.
For locals who couldn’t afford tickets to the shows,though, best by far was the free public concert in a dusty field between the RDP houses in Darling East, where all performers presented 5 minutes of their
acts.
The 2013 Voorkamerfest included everything from one-act plays and acrobatics to singing, music and dance. We enjoyed the community involvement, the chance to visit people’s homes, see children perform a dance they had learned in a workshop, chat to taxi drivers about their town, and join the throng of happy people wandering the cordoned-off street in front of Evita se Perron.
For locals who couldn’t afford tickets to the shows,though, best by far was the free public concert in a dusty field between the RDP houses in Darling East, where all performers presented 5 minutes of their
acts.
The Voorkamerfest: as much about children as the arts
This was inspirational stuff, exposing people – particularly children – to arts previously undreamed of.
We chatted to a bright-eyed 10-year-old who was fizzing with excitement. ‘When I grow up I want to be an actor,’ he grinned.
Then he showed off a few dance moves he’d picked up and the beginnings of an acrobatic trick we knew he’d be working to perfect over the next few weeks.
For him, the Voorkamerfest had been stimulating, encouraging and full of bright ideas that children like him had never thought about before.
For that reason alone, it can be counted a success.
More about the West Coast
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
We chatted to a bright-eyed 10-year-old who was fizzing with excitement. ‘When I grow up I want to be an actor,’ he grinned.
Then he showed off a few dance moves he’d picked up and the beginnings of an acrobatic trick we knew he’d be working to perfect over the next few weeks.
For him, the Voorkamerfest had been stimulating, encouraging and full of bright ideas that children like him had never thought about before.
For that reason alone, it can be counted a success.
More about the West Coast
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
