17 March 2025
The tenth anniversary of the My Body My Space arts festival transformed the streets of rural eNtokozweni (Machadodorp) in Mpumalanga. Above is one of the performances by Interns from The Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative perform dance pieces inside a labyrinth at the Kloppenheim Country Estate. Photos: Ihsaan Haffejee
The quiet streets of eNtokozweni (Machadodorp) in Mpumalanga were transformed into backdrops for vibrant and colourful public performances as part of the My Body My Space arts festival.
Hundreds of people from the town and surrounding communities came out for the tenth anniversary of the festival which ran from 10 to 15 March. The performances were free and aimed to create more access to the arts in rural Mpumalanga.
This year’s performances focused on climate change and the environment through dances, plays and public art installations.
Nathan Botha and Noko Moeketsi from the Vuyani Dance Theatre perform their piece titled “In Him”. The performance reflects on our inner thoughts as human beings and how they affect our daily life choices.
The festival is curated by The Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative (FATC) which in 2015 relocated its operations from Johannesburg to the rural area of Emakhazeni in Mpumalanga. They established The Ebhudlweni Arts Centre to serve as a resource and arts hub for young people in the under-served, rural community.
Choreographer and festival co-curator PJ Sabbagha says art can sometimes be exclusionary, elitist and too expensive for many people. This is why the My Body My Space festival was created, he says, by bringing art into rural communities free of charge. “It’s about democratising and decentralising how we experience, and where we experience performance and art,” says Sabbagha.
Obusitswe “Birdking” Seage performs “In the muck, un-trashing the future”, an interactive performance which tackles the problems of trash and rampant consumerism.
The festival also included workshops for learners and youth at schools in and around the Emakhazeni area, as part of The Forgotten Angle Theatre Collaborative’s LEAP (The Local Education in Arts Programme). This programme provides dance and arts education to local children, as well as people with disabilities in the Emakhazeni Local Municipality.
Learners from local schools perform a gumboot dance in the space outside the butchery in eNtokozweni (Machadodorp).
The festival culminated with a jam-packed weekend of performances, with large crowds flowing through different streets as artists performed outside coffee shops, libraries, butcher shops, and even funeral parlours. The festival ended at the Kloppenheim Country Estate where artists showcased their talents among the rolling green hills surrounding the town.
Sandile Masina performs “Stolen Ancestors” on a hill at the Kloppenheim Country Estate. His performance reflected on the lack of access to land and being deprived access to cultural practices on ancestral land.
A dancer from the Perzani Dance Theatre performs “Reap what you sow” a dance performance that expresses a reminder that humanity and nature are interconnected.
Fana Tshabalala performing at night in the piece called “Man”, which explores how gender roles and responsibilities have changed over the years.
Artists from Drama For Life (Left) perform their piece titled “Thina (us)” outside a well-known takeaway shop as local residents watch from the entrance to the shop.