THE NATION'S SOUL AT COP17

The Department of Arts & Culture has been mandated to organise the cultural programme which entails the Opening Ceremony and Reception at the COP17 Climate Change Conference that will takes place from the 28th of November to the 9th of December 2011.

The international event, to be hosted by the Department of International Relations & Cooperation, will be at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, Durban, KwaZulu Natal.

The DAC will - on behalf of the Republic of South Africa - put together an opening ceremony that will, unavoidably, capture and reflect the indigenous spirit of national country with the aim of projecting national identity.

Although the cultural programme will only last 10-minutes, according to the official UN programme, it will be graced by an imbongi, a praise singer who will represent and reflect the soul of the nation in his performance.

Significantly, the essence of his recitations will be the theme of climate change. He will be accompanied by a Maskandi guitarist. This first part of the performance is expected to set the tone for the event and inspire it with a cultural consciousness that will make delegates feel welcome to the African continent. This section of the programme will not exceed 4 minutes.

The second part of the performance will be characterised by the sound of the cowhide drums and percussions. This will be enhanced by five contemporary dancers who will use palm leaves to tell the story of climate change through movement, sound and fashion. Their outfits will be made of eco-friendly material to emphasise the theme.

The performance will, hopefully, be projected through a larger than life visual screen which will also reflect visual images relevant to the theme to serve as a backdrop.

Later in the day, the DAC will coordinate a light cultural programme at a 2-hour long reception from 7pm onwards. The event will feature a dance piece collaboration of Zulu and Indian traditional dance routines to capture the spirit of the Zulu Kingdom and the diversity inherent to the nation.

The performance will last for 15 minutes and will be characterised by grace, harmony and synchronisation of movement. The regalia will be elegant and colorful dress which will be contrasted with animal skins, spears and shields of the Zulu male dancers.

The remainder of the reception will witness the infectious music of a string quartet performing classical South African pieces. There will also be a sextet band playing background music covering genres such as marabi, kwela, African jazz and many other types.

The instrumental music will make it easier for delegates to interact while appreciating the indigenous sounds.