Until 1994, the policy
of apartheid or separate development divided Johannesburg
into so called White, Black, Coloured and Indian residential areas
and the city’s cultural landscape reflected this. Also, the
white community was further separated along the language line, with
the English speakers living in distinctive communities, as did the
Afrikaans speakers. Cultural mixing did occur in specific grey suburbs,
such as the well known Sophiatown, which was bulldozed by the authorities
in 1960, for precisely this reason.
The present situation is one whereby cultures are once again discovering
each other and this is obvious in the eclectic music and theatre
scene, especially in the suburbs of Troyeville, Brixton and Melville.
Sophiatown has resumed her name.
Any thoughts that Johannesburg may suffer from persistent cultural
as well as climatic drought can be put to rest by paging through
the Tonight supplement to the city’s main daily newspaper,
The Star.
As well as the lively theatre scene, Johannesburg’s
yearly festivals, which cover nearly every artistic field, are an
engrossing way to sample different aspects of the city’s cultural
life. Searchable daily listings of Johannesburg happenings and events
can be found online.
Tickets to cultural events are available from Computicket
(telephone: (011) 340 8000, facsimile: (011) 340 8900) or Ticketweb
(telephone: (086) 140 0500). There is also a good online cultural
guide. |
