The 2011 Voorkamer Festival in Darling
Imagine your favourite artist performing their act in the comfort of your own living room. Unreal? Not quite…
Thanks to the Voorkamer Festival in Darling you can watch well known local and international acts, not in your own livingroom, but it the “voorkamer” of a house in the quaint little town of Darling.
The Voorkamer Festival started 8 years ago. It offers a unique and multi-cultural experience in an exciting and unconventional format. Various forms of music, drama, mime, comedy and cabaret are performed in the lounges of 21 Darling homes throughout the village. Part of the appeal of the festival is the adventure. After purchasing a theatre ticket, show-goers jump into an authentic South African taxi which takes them on a mystery route through Darling. The beauty of the festival is the surprise factor. The taxi drivers take festival visitors from home to home on a number of set routes. Each route features three homes and three performances and the audience only know what they are going to see once they enter the “Voorkamer”.
The joyride only starts at noon and festival-goers can kill some time before hand by indulging in some homemade delicacies like Lavender Cupcakes or get into the mood with a handcrafted Darling Brew. Once the clock strikes 12 the party moves to the “taxi rank” where the bursting-with-excitement crowd queue for the various routes.
Some of the treats at the Voorkamer Festival market
Our magical journey through arts and culture started in a brand spanking new home with an enormous lounge. Manouche, a Stellenbosch based Gypsy Jazz style band, kicked-off our show and mesmerized the 20-odd audience with their hot, jazzy and vibrant tunes.
Manouche offers a unique blend of American jazz, gypsy rhythmic and melodic concepts
In between stops the leader of our pack, Nick Pentz kept our wine glasses full with some lovely whites from his wine farm, Groote Post. This was balanced out with some cashew nuts and the most divine biltong from the Darling Vleismark.
The incredible voice of Sima Mashazi brought tears to the eyes of the audience which played of in a small little house on the other side of the railway track. Her killer voice and the excellent piano skills of Ramon Alexander made for an unforgettable experience and we left with warm feelings of joy.
The sensational Sima Mashazi and Ramon Alexander
We ended our journey on a high note, but not with music this time. After squeezing into the small “vookamer” of an RDP House, famous comedian Mel Jones had the audience roaring with laughter. This loud-and-proud girl from Mitchell’s Plain made us laugh so hard we cried…tears of joy that is!
Comedian Mel Jones strikes a pose
After attending the festival for the second time in a row I believe it’s safe to say that the Voorkamer Festival is fast becoming the hottest arts and cultural festival in South Africa. This initiative enrich communities and allows even the inhabitants of a small rural South African town, to enjoy and have a stake in world culture.
Visit www.voorkamerfest-darling.co.za for more photos of this year’s festival and sign up for their newsletter to secure your spot for next year.
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