Art, music and more as Streetopia returns to Obs
Many brilliant cultural initiatives happen in the coffee shops and bars that are sprinkled throughout our hood.
Doodle sessions and spoken words occur in drawing rooms, students mingle with lefties who wag chins with hip young radicals on the corner of Trill and the patron saint of crayfish samoosas nods his elephant head to the rhythm of kasi beats.
The strip buzzes throughout the day and well into the night. And there's art, lots of it〝on the streets, walls, and in the studios squirrelled away in corners and lofts" and with a little help from friends, it spills into many venues on Thursdays.
So there's quite a lot that happens in Obs but does our hood have its very own thing to call its own?
Yes, it does and it's called Streetopia. Now in its third year, it's our own community carnival. Is it a music festival?
Nope it's not Obs Fest. Is it an opportunity for the whole of Obs (and surrounding areas) to fill the streets with their very own flavour of culture, colour and creativity?
Hell yes! One could even say it's our annual opportunity to show Obs at its finest. But making it happen takes action on the part of everyone in our bohemian and multicultural suburb.
Last year's event saw our community pitch in with a wide range of activities and performances that made the event schedule as varied as the population of our hood.
From kids' activities in the Arnold St kiddies park to exhibitions in studios at the Bijou and Community Centre. Of course, large events require large amounts of money, and AfrikaBurn (based in Obs and provided over R300 000 seed funding in 2015 and 2016) can't carry the can for the event alone so donations were sought from businesses in our area.
Many came to the table with generous donations, among them a wide range of restaurants, bars, cafés and other businesses located within the event footprint.
Along with additional support from record stores, clothing boutiques, bookstores, the Obs Civic Association and OBSID, all co-ordinated by the AfrikaBurn's team, the event catered to over 4 000 people who enjoyed themselves in the sights, sounds and culture that makes Obs our hood of choice.
To bring the streets alive with spontaneous acts of creativity, means a concerted effort from across the spectrum of residents, businesses, artists, performers and everyone else.
To make Streetopia happen in November, the work starts now!
You don't have to donate to make the event happen (although every penny does help) as a community event. Any activity that you'd like to bring alive in our streets is welcome.
If you'd like to get involved and add your own flavour to the wide mix of colour & culture on the day, or if you're a business owner and would like to find out how you can support Streetopia, email streetopia@afrikaburn.com