Hempza Downloads

Hempza Ngwalase is one of the founding pillars of Black Sunday, essentially a coming together of township arts every Sunday in Zone 1, Diepkloof, Soweto. The most dominant expression there is that of hip-hop. Hempza says “it’s similar to the jazz sessions back in the day. We look for... Learn More »

Hempza Ngwalase is one of the founding pillars of Black Sunday, essentially a coming together of township arts every Sunday in Zone 1, Diepkloof, Soweto. The most dominant expression there is that of hip-hop. Hempza says “it’s similar to the jazz sessions back in the day. We look for artists to link up with other artists, we want people who have more to say but have less opportunities, we want to create a sustained platform and an agency for township arts. Black Sunday is the beginning of this.” The event boasts a gathering of close to 300 youth every Sunday and a support network of artists ranging from graphic designers to dancers. With the aspiring black low-middle classes looking for ways to escape the township, Hempza is attempting to reform and recreate the township from within. He speaks of Soweto as a world unto itself, a place orbiting Johannesburg and operating within a vacuum. It’s a real attempt at creating a database of all necessary people right in Soweto and beyond. Much of the hip-hop is in the vernacular and as Hempza puts it “the streets must talk for themselves.” It is clear that dominant forms of power are criticized through this medium of entertainment and the latter goes to places in the hearts of artists and the socially oppressed youth where no politician dare ever venture. Much like the clandestine meetings of liberation fighters which were kept secret and saw comrades meet at point A only to sojourn to secret point B, Black Sunday’s venue is revolving. You need to be in the mix to know!

Hempza Ngwalase is a youth for whom the cultural struggle is the most effective arena to house and grapple with societal issues.

from "A Choice Of Arms" by Lisa-Anne Julien, 16-Jul-2005
« Hide Description