A Kayamandi restaurant and tourist attraction is set to revive an event aimed at showcasing local talent and traditional Xhosa culture. This is according to Kay Mhlakaza, operations manager at AmaZink.
The event, called Under Kasi Stars, will kick off on 7 June and feature traditional Xhosa meals and drinks. It will also provide a platform for up-and-coming Kayamandi artists to showcase their talents, according to Mhlakaza.
AmaZink, a Kayamandi restaurant, will host Under Kasi Stars on 7 June. The event will showcase local talent and traditional Xhosa culture, according to Kay Mhlakaza, operations manager at AmaZink. PHOTO: Eugene Marais
“We don’t want our culture to die, we want to keep it alive. […] The show is a package of getting to experience and taste every kind of Xhosa cultural food, and in between there will be poetry, traditional dancers, and live music,” Mhlakaza said.
The return of the event was welcomed by local artists.
“We are so happy it’s coming back,” said Lelethu Cast, a local singer who will be performing at Under Kasi Stars. “We are just grateful for the platform it gives us.”
Event pre-pandemic
According to Mhlakaza, a similar event called AmaZink Live used to be held weekly at the venue, but was discontinued in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In 2019 I was here a few times for AmaZink Live, and I regularly brought exchange students and other Stellenbosch residents with me to experience the culture of Kayamandi,” said Surita Linde, a Stellenbosch resident familiar with the event.
“Many of those people had never even been in Kayamandi before attending the event. There are obviously stigmas surrounding it, like safety and people feeling that they aren’t welcome here, but the event really bridged the gap between the town and Kayamandi,” Linde said.
AmaZink, a Kayamandi restaurant, hopes to help local artists market themselves and attract producers, according to Kay Mhlakaza, operations manager at AmaZink. PHOTO: Eugene Marais
Motivation behind the revival
Mhlakaza said that once things had returned to normal, management needed to find ways to generate revenue to keep the business going.
“When Covid hit the business […] there were questions of whether it should close down permanently,” Mhlakaza said. “We asked ourselves how do we keep the property self-sustaining. We started to think back to what kept it alive and realised it was the show,” she said.
Kay Mhlakaza, operations manager at the Kayamandi restaurant AmaZink, explains the challenges they faced in reviving the event after four years of inactivity.
According to Mhlakaza, they hope to re-establish the event as a regular feature on the Kayamandi calendar.
“We’d like to have the show every month. We’ll see what the demand is and basically take it from there,” she said.
In addition to attracting customers to AmaZink, Mhlakaza said that they also hope the event will help artists market themselves and attract producers.
“Hopefully, somebody in the audience will see their potential and help that young person in the future,” she said.
Under Kasi Stars’ predecessor, AmaZink Live, bridged the gap between the town and Kayamandi, according to Surita Linde, a Stellenbosch resident who attended the event before the pandemic. PHOTO: Eugene Marais