This Heritage Weekend, I visited the Soweto Festival Expo. Now in its seventh year, the event was held at the recently renovated Joburg Expo Centre at Nasrec. The main aim of the festival was to promote SMMEs in Soweto and to develop them by providing them with access to markets and training in small business management.
“We’re so excited that everything is going according to plan,” said event director Rehaad James on Saturday. “Today alone we are expecting about 10 000 people at the expo.”
Well organised and executed, the festival delivered on all its promises. There were more than 150 exhibitors on the day I attended and I loved trawling the stalls looking for fantastic finds at bargain prices. I found an amazing bag at the Arts Pavilion – get this: it stretches the more you pack in it and it’s waterproof … my new best friend indeed.
The Arts Pavilion showcased an eclectic and diverse range of work from local crafters, painters, sculptors, writers, actors and photographers, and it was relaxing to see the numerous families strolling around and enjoying the festivities. Since I’m slowly – and I say this tentatively – becoming an Orlando Pirates fan, I visited an exhibition celebrating their 75th anniversary.
The best part of course was the great line-up of top performers. For only R30 I got to see Wilson B Nkosi, Paul Mtirara and Eddie Zondi from Metro FM, Black Dillinger and Goldfish.