​​The Cape Town Carnival, a registered social impact initiative under the leadership of Economic and Management Sciences faculty member Professor Rachel Jafta, launched its 2020 theme at a lively media event last week.

Jafta, an economics professor at Stellenbosch University, is also the founder and the chair of the board of trustees of the Cape Town Carnival. Craig Lemboe at the Bureau for Economic Research is a founding trustee.

This year's theme “Incredible Journey: Sounds of South Africa" showcases the music, song, dance and arts of South Africa. The theme will be brought to life through, among others, a giant eland sculpture inscribed with symbols and marks to suggest artistic expressions of the early Southern African peoples, riel and gumboot dancing and a celebration of 1950s Kwela and Marabi music. The aim is to connect South Africans to their past, their future, their country and each other.

The theme launch delivered a taste of what is to come with a meditative performance on the bow-harp by Glen Arendse of Khoi Konnexion and energetic dance performances from contemporary dance group AfriCAN, Rainbow Academy and the Michelle Davids Dance Company.

“This year will be our eleventh carnival. We've had a very modest beginning with one float in Long Street, about 26 000 spectators and about 2 600 dancers. I want to thank everybody who has been with us on this journey and contributed in various ways. I want to invite you to come to join us as we embark on our second decade," Jafta said in her welcoming address.

Lemboe said the initial aim of the Faculty's social impact contribution to the Carnival was to develop social cohesion through various platforms for people to get to know each other and to celebrate their diversity in a fun way.

“The social cohesion element has come through quite strongly, but what we've seen as the Carnival developed, is that entrepreneurship and skills transfer opportunities have also been created."

He said the Carnival also offers opportunities for the Faculty to gain research data and conceptualise research questions that can lead to collaborative solutions with participating communities.

Cape Town Mayor Dan Plato said the City is honoured to be associated with an event that endeavours to unify all the racial groups of Cape Town.

“Just looking back at last year's carnival, the one thing that stood out for me was the mix of people from such places as Khayelitsha, Mitchell's Plain and Sea Point coming together in Cape Town. The carnival also presents the City with an opportunity to raise specific issues of concern such as gang and gender violence with these masses," Plato said.

Charles Mabaso, acting deputy-director of Arts, Culture, Promotion and Development in the Department of Arts and Culture, reiterated that the department will continue to support the Cape Town Carnival through its funding initiative, Mzansi Golden Economy.

“In the past, South Africa had mines and gold and that was our source of income, but we have since realised that the artistic talent in this country is our new goldmine. If we do not harness this artistic talent South Africa will go nowhere. It is through this artistic talent that we can showcase to the world what South Africa is all about," said Mabaso.

The Carnival will take place on 21 March, with 2 000 performers from more than 50 talented community-based groups contributing by designing floats, making costumes, synchronising moves, and perfecting melodies.

The grand finale of Carnival 2020 will be the unveiling of the AfroFuture Float which imagines the city of the tomorrow, fuelled by possibility, exploding with invention, all in its own unique, creative and distinctly African style.

​Franco Pascoe, Carnival workshop coordinator and a beautiful example of the positive impact of the Cape Town Carnival, elaborated, “What we are aiming to convey in the AfroFuture Float is actually what we're doing together through the Cape Town Carnival: we're imagining the future in a positive way and making our contribution to creating it. And hopefully also inspiring everyone in our city and maybe even in the country to be part of this proactive energy."

• Main photo: Cape Town Carnival dancers
  
• Photo on the right: Founder and chair of the Cape Town Carnival Trust, Prof Rachel Jafta, with Cape Town mayor Dan Plato.
  Both photos supplied by Transformmarketing.​