Local choir to sing Goldberg’s praises
LIKE a phoenix rising from the ashes to soar triumphantly, the Hout Bay Ingoma Choir emerged from the Imizamo Yethu informal settlement to become a household name, which will host a concert for anti-apartheid Struggle hero Denis Goldberg this month.
The acclaimed choir, founded in the aftermath of devastating shack fires and unrest in the area last year, will perform at a special concert at Groot Constantia wine farm on July 25 at 7pm for the 85-year-old Struggle veteran, who was diagnosed with lung cancer.
The Winter Soiree concert will be a celebration of the richness of multicultural Western Cape, with the choir singing unaccompanied African chorals, according to the choir’s founder and manager, Tanya Blacher.
“Proceeds of the event will be donated to Goldberg’s legacy project called the House of Hope, which is a new arts and culture facility serving disadvantaged youth of Hangberg and Imizamo Yethu communities in Hout Bay, where Goldberg lived for the past 10 years,” she said.
Blacher said there will also be an opportunity to taste Groot Constantia’s recent vintages and hear from one of their senior wine producers, as well as a chance to witness the unique perspective of Goldberg, who is one of only two surviving members of the 1964 Rivonia Treason Trial that led to the imprisonment of Nelson Mandela.
As a result of that trial Goldberg was imprisoned for 22 years and even after his release, he never stopped fighting for South Africa to become a more equal society.
Blacher said tickets cost R450, with the price including wine tasting and food and can be bought online on Quicket or e-mail: houtbaychoir@gmail. com for EFT details.
She can be contacted at 081 854 6780 for further information or e-mail to tanyacarusblacher@gmail.com or houtbaychoir@gmail.com