African cultural events light up Cape Town

The cultural events fall under the African Creative Market (4-13 October), presented by the African Arts Institute (www.afai.org.za) to showcase creative goods and services in greater Cape Town.

Ongoing events in the central city include:

• Pan-African film: Short, feature and documentary films curated by Encounters Film Festival, Big World Cinema and Screen Dance Africa.
  
• Music: Collaborations between Mozambican, Ethiopian and Senegalese artists in the City Hall, and Afro-jazz at the Mahogany Room jazz club;
  
• Literature: Conversations with Zimbabwean, Moroccan, Kenyan and South African writers at the Book Lounge independent book store; and a pop-up book shop in the City Hall; and
  
• Visual arts: A Pan-African-themed exhibition will be on display at Union House art hub in Commercial Street.

This weekend in Langa, 10 home-owners in Rubusana Street (opposite Langa Stadium entrance and adjacent to non-profit organisation iKhaya le Langa, near the train station) are allowing their houses to be transformed into gallery spaces open to visitors. This forms part of the Maboneng Arts Experience (initiated in Alexandra, Johannesburg) to help build art-loving societies. Volunteers will direct visitors from the train station to the residents' houses.

A section of Rubusana Street will also be turned into a car-free corridor over the weekend (Saturday, 12 October) under the Open Streets initiative. The Langa Quarter is an initiative working to make this under-utilised area, behind the Athlone power station, into a vibrant tourist destination and a centre for enterprise development.

The conference is presented by Arterial Network and the Cape Craft & Design Institute is the implementing agency.

For more, go to www.acec2013.org.za, the Facebook page or follow @acec2013 on Twitter.