GRAMMY AWARD WINNING RAP GODDESS WALK THE STREETS OF SOWETO ON MANDELA DAY.
Written by: Thami Nhlapo
Soweto Night Out Tours with Funk It I’m Walking movement hosted a Grammy-winning rap Goddess from the United States of America, North Carolina, who goes by the stage name Rapsody.
Soweto Night Out Tours is an initiative which aims to make Soweto safe again by enabling tourists and locals to be able to explore Soweto at night without any fear. The purpose is mainly to focus on stopping Gender Based Violence (GBV) by raising awareness of looking out for each other, as in the tour, we walk the streets of Soweto at night, in groups, which creates a sense of unity against the social ills we face in our community. The initiative portrays the positive side of Soweto by enabling tourists and other locals to experience for themselves that Soweto is not as dangerous as they portray it to be.
By walking the streets of Soweto at night, tourists and locals can observe for themselves that they can spend their night in Soweto without fear of being robbed. Soweto is one of the well-known vibrant townships in South Africa, making it safer, enabling tourists to want to visit and spend their night, which is good for business for places that offer accommodation, food, drinks, night outs and other commodities that would interest the tourists in Soweto.
The initiative creates a safe community in which businesses can thrive, and children can live in a safe environment in which opportunities are offered to them to explore their fullest potential. Soweto Night Out Tours explore the night economy, in which places like Native Rebels in Jabulani, which opens until late, can accommodate tourists with a nice and safe space to have fun.
The tour started in the evening, around 17:00, at a meetup point, which is Starbucks in Rosebank. Coffee and other beverages were offered to the guests, and the team prepared to embark on a journey to tour Soweto. The ticket for the tour included transportation, which picked up the guests at Rosebank.
Guests are able to enjoy an exclusive experience of visiting museums in Soweto and cultural sites, which are the Credo Mutwa Cultural Village and the June 16 Memorial. Food and beverages are also offered at Native Rebels, as the guests got a chance to listen to an insightful conversation between Baba Seth Mazibuko, who was involved and played a vital role in the 16 June 1976 student uprising, and Rapsody, an American Grammy-award-winning rapper, who raps about social ills that black people face all over the world.
The conversation was hosted by Ntsiki Mazwai, and guests were also allowed to ask questions and offer solutions on how we can tackle the problems that are facing black communities in South Africa and other parts of the world. The conversation was insightful as Baba Seth related how his generation fought for freedom and what the youth of today need to do.
For many who attended the tour, the most exciting part was seeing Rapsody in person. As a person, they admire her because of the positive consciousness and uplifting woman’s message she shares in her music. As the guests arrived at the Soweto Theatre, they were greeted by the beautiful voices from the Youth Choir as they prepared for the journey to visit the Credo Mutwa Cultural Village. Along the journey, the guests were entertained by the choir. As they sang beautiful songs, walking down the streets of Jabavu to the Credo Mutwa Cultural Village. At the village, they were welcomed by Lebo Sello, who is the caretaker and tour guide. Lebo had spent a year with Baba Credo Mutwa, and he got to learn a lot about ancient African knowledge. He related the story of how the cultural village came about, and stories were also shared by Zamalek Giza. The guests were taken to view the Oppenheimer Tower, which is a tower where you can see Soweto from a bird’s eye view. The Credo Mutwa Cultural Village portrays the significant role of African women and how women were respected in ancient Africa. As the objective of the Soweto Night Out Tours is to raise awareness of GBV, the cultural village plays a vital role in reminding people of the power of African women.
Let’s Walk to Freedom: Rapsody Visits South Africa on Mandela Day
The second last destination was the June 16 Memorial, which portrays an exhibition of what happened on 16 June 1976. It also has a statue of Tsietsi Mashinini, the leader of the student uprising. The last destination was Native Rebels, where Baba Seth Mazibuko had insightful conversations. The tour ended with Nomisupasta’s new song featuring Rapsody, in which the guests had the privilege to hear it for the first time.