South African actor, writer and activist Buhle Ngaba came up with the idea for Swan Song during her time in Stratford, England after winning the prestigious Brett Goldin Bursary in 2016. Swan Song is described as a story of 'becoming (and sometimes not) belonging that’s rooted in the very visceral.’ It recently won two Kanna Theatre Awards including best upcoming artist. This a story that needs to be seen and heard by a broad and diverse audience.
In light of this, ten South African creatives; Koleka Putuma, Athi-Patra Ruga, Amy Ayanda, Nadia Davids, Tsoku Maela, Dan Nel, Caelyn Robertson, Amy Rusch and Sitaara Stodel—have pledged their work to be sold at a silent auction at the Book Lounge on 1 July from 17h30. Plus two signed plays by the acclaimed actor and playwright, John Kani are also up for grabs. The proceeds will go towards getting Buhle Ngaba’s Swan Song on stage in front of a wider audience, starting with the 2019 Vrystaat Festival.
Enjoy an evening of art and wine as Ngaba reveals the specific items up for auction and sold the highest bidder, which will be raffled. This split is symbolic of what Buhle Ngaba hopes to do with Swan Song, and her wider body of work: to democratise art in a way that allows accessible participation and an easy buy-in to art that maintains its value. Those purchasing ‘raffle tickets’ will do so at a fixed cost and post them into the bidding box beside each artwork to stand a chance to make it their own.
