Artscape honours one of the world’s most iconic leader’s, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela’s birthday during the month of July with a delightful production, Mandela – A More Human Face -  in the presence of a very accomplished poet, Bulelwa Basse and the Township Opera Company on Saturday,  23 July at 19:30.

The performance shares a compelling tale of the exceptional milestones of one of the greatest statesman to lead South Africa, Nelson Mandela. His life story for peace and reconciliation is told through the sterling voices of  the Township Opera Company and the spoken word of Bulelwa with Sandile Kamle, as music director. Guests can expect Ntyilo-ntyilo, Isiswe Sabathembu and Nkosi Sikelela iAfrica to name a few of the songs performed on the night.

Mandela – A More Human Face, is a collaboration of Bulelwa Basse Services and Lyrical Base Project in association with Artscape; a production, which it is rooted in the positive legacy of Madiba’s human spirit.

“No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”, Nelson Mandela

Tickets can be purchased at Computicket or via Artscape Dial-a-seat 021 421 7695. Tickets: R120 (10% off for pensioners/students and scholars)

Madiba shirts and Xhosa traditional attire and accessories will be on sale to raise funds for the performing artists.

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Issued on behalf of: Artscape Theatre Centre

Marketing Department
Senior Manager: Communications and Brand Management

Simone Heradien
Contact: 073 207 1558

Editors Notes: 

Bulelwa Basse Biography

South Africa is rich to be endowed with women who invest in it: Bulelwa Basse is one such woman, who spent most of her youth developing other youth, initially through her literary and performing arts organisation – Lyrical Base Project, which she founded in 2006 and is - 11 years later - still South Africa’s leading literary, publishing and performing arts promotion initiative which seeks to elevate the profiles of writers and performing artists within South Africa.

Lyrical Base Project has been recognised for Best Literary Contribution by the Western Cape Cultural Affairs Awards 2015/2016.

Bulelwa is not only passionate about the development of South African literature and the education of youth, but also about women empowerment through business development  programmes which focus on skills transfer and capacity building.
As a woman who walks her talk, she is the director of Sisters in Solidarity South Africa – an organisation Basse founded in 2012, which helps to register South African women-owned businesses, aligns them with related business regulatory bodies for procurement opportunities, and assists them to become legitimate entities through relevant compliance avenues.

As an entrepreneur who believes in the concept of appointing and applying oneself, Bulelwa works tirelessly to reinforce the culture of self-sustainability through self-employment, and as a result mentors other aspiring and established entrepreneurs who are faced with business stagnation challenges.
Through the Bulelwa Basse Services Mentorship On Leadership Programme, which essentially serves as a Corporate Social Responsibility element of her company, Bulelwa Basse Services (PTY) Ltd, she drives home the African adage: “Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu”, which in translation means – “I am because you are”. Her potent strategy founded on the philosophy of giving others a hand-up as she rises in her career path.

Basse’s sense of community has earned her much professional and personal success: Her hard work and kind efforts towards fellow South African citizens caught the attention of Brand South Africa, who proudly dubbed her their Play Your Part Initiative ambassador since 2014 up to date. Through this initiative, Bulelwa encapsulates, well, the ideal of being an active South African citizen.

In 2016, France’s giant cosmetics brand: L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth Campaign recognised Bulelwa as one of their top 10 L’Oreal Paris Women of Worth, who makes a major difference in the South African landscape through her initiative, Sisters in Solidarity South Africa. Destiny Magazine, who was the campaign partner, had the pleasure of documenting Bulelwa’s proud moment.

In 2017, Elle Magazine profiled Basse as their January/February Woman of the Month, for her sterling work with Sisters in Solidarity South Africa and her impassioned inspirational public talks for South Africans trying to find their life’s purpose.

Basse’s tenacity caught the attention of the Department of Arts and Culture, who sent her to the Algerian desert in 2014, to be in solidarity with the Western Saharans, who are refugees in Algerian desert camps, as a result of their country being captured by the Moroccans for more than 40 years.
Bulelwa used her poetry performances as a tool to connect with the pain of the Western Saharans at the FISAHARA Festival that year.

Basse has been a proud South African ambassador in India and the United Kingdom, representing the arts and cultural fraternity since 2010, yet never dreams of living anywhere else, other than in South Africa. She strongly believes: “When you are compelled to live up to your purpose, there’s no grey area to confuse the plot.”

It is said a woman’s job is never done: Bulelwa is currently the Chairperson of the Western Cape Cultural Commission – an outreach component of the provincial Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport. Her role under this umbrella is to ensure that arts practitioners and cultural organisations within the Western Cape are exposed to equal funding opportunities and capacity assistance.

It is a dream come true, that a young woman born in Joburg’s Soweto, grew up in Cape Town’s Langa and Gugulethu townships, who dreamt of becoming a social worker or a psychologist, is now able to – through her writing ability – address some of the country’s social ills, and through her social responsibility initiatives, is able to address the human condition.