Maak’ie City Hall jol vol: Traditions upheld as Malay choir prep begins
TAKES CLUBS TO CTICC: Keep the Dream Malay Choir Board
The Cape Malay Choir Board (CMCB) is ready to take the City Hall by storm with the sounds of our culture.
The CMCB will celebrate the Heritage Cup at the Cape Town City Hall on Saturday, September 23.
Malay choirs are all prepping for this coveted trophy, sponsored by the legendary Kader Miller.
The teams are performing two traditional items, namely the Nederlandslied and comic songs.
Tickets will be available from the clubs for R150. Monies raised go back to the clubs to help with running costs. Doors open at 3.30pm. The show is scheduled to start at 5pm.
I caught up with CMCB spokesperson Adnaan Morris, who says this is one more way to teach our children about their heritage and culture.
“People should look out for teams who are back in action after they were not able to compete last year due to financial restraints,” he explains.
“This is a new format of keeping the tradition alive and making sure we shine a light for the future youth to see and understand what our heritage is all about.”
Teams who are participating in this Heritage Cup are Jonge Studente, Primrose MVC, Ottoman SC, Rangers SC, Angeliere, Young Men Sporting Club, Marines, Strelitzia, Parkdales, Boarding Boys, Legends and Caballeros.
The sporting clubs will also perform in this order.
I suspect that the venue will be filled to capacity, so book early.
In other news, our culture is also set to be celebrated at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC)!
The season is on the doorstep and the Keep the Dream Maylay Choir Board are set to take their teams to the CTICC for the very first time.
According to the events manager for Keep the Dream, alles is confirmed.
“This will happen in the New Year come January 2024. This is very big news. Teams will still gather at Cape Town City Hall and will be transported to the CTICC to compete.”
People will be surprised to know that tickets will cost only R125 for this experience.
More than 20 teams will participate, including teams that have left other boards, such as the Modern Boys SC and Young Zinnias.
The draw to decide the order of competition will happen in December.
Many might be familiar with a team called the Young Bo Kaap Royals, originally known as Woodstock Royals, which was formed way back in 1921, with a mission to keep the youth busy with music rather than substance abuse.
The chairman of the team, Redwaan Samodien, has renamed the outfit after moving to the cultural hub and the passing of his father, Adam Samodien.
Redwaan aims to uphold this cultural legacy by bringing the youth of Bo-Kaap together and keeping them off the streets.
And the proof is in the photographs, where you can see more children than adults in this team., which has also grown since last year by adding specialised coaches.
Bo-Kaap is the place to be when it comes to cultural festivals, so it’s no surprise that they are doing their best to grow the team from what it was last year.
Redwaan says: “We’ve been coaching our kids, rehearsing more and putting in the work to make sure these kids feel proud of their achievements. We need to make them understand that we can only achieve things if we put in the work.”
Anyone interested in joining the team, can contact Redwaan on 082 538 9446.