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The Langa Cultural Precinct <h2 class="sectHeading">How was it built? </h2><p>The City of Cape Town’s <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Departments/Arts%20and%20Culture%20Department">Arts and Culture Department</a>, with the help of different stakeholders and volunteers, revamped the area through various development projects. An important <a href="https://wdo.org/programmes/wdc/past-cities/wdccapetown2014/" target="_blank">World Design Capital 2014<i class="icon link-external"></i></a> project added the famous 200-seat theatre built out of sustainable materials – Guga S’Thebe. </p><h4> There are a number of organisations that are working to increase local and international tourism in Langa. These include: </h4><ul> <li> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/IKhayaLeLanga/" target="_blank">Ikhaya Le Langa</a><i class="icon link-external"></i></li><li> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/CapeTownFringe/" target="_blank">Cape Town Fringe Festival</a><i class="icon link-external"></i> </li><li> Open Design Festival Cape Town </li><li> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ARTSLANGA/" target="_blank">Langa Arts Association<i class="icon link-external"></i></a></li></ul><p>This will not only do more to promote local art, culture and design, but it will also provide a great boost to economic development in the area.</p><div class="notification with-heading dark-copy light-blue bg-light-grey"><div class="graphic with-border"> <i class="info fastfact"></i> </div><div class="desc"><h4>Fast fact</h4><p>Langa is in the centre of three major hubs in Cape Town – the CBD, Bellville and Claremont.</p></div></div><p>Read about how the Langa community – with support from the City and industry professionals – have re-imagined arts and culture and their environment to enormous success in the <a href="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Project%20and%20programme%20documents/Re-imagining%20Guga%20S%27Thebe%20and%20Langa%20Cultural%20Precinct.pdf" target="_blank">Re-imagining Guga S'Thebe and Langa Museum presentation</a>. </p><h2 class="sectHeading">Guga S’Thebe Arts and Culture Centre</h2><p>The centre was built in 1999 as part of the ‘Culture in the Community’ initiative through a national Reconstruction and Development programme. </p><h4> The centre has:</h4><ul><li>six active and tenanted studio spaces;</li><li>a gathering area;</li><li>an outdoor auditorium for performance; and </li><li>an arts and craft shop.</li></ul><div class="notification with-heading dark-copy light-blue bg-light-grey"><div class="graphic with-border"> <i class="info fastfact"></i> </div><div class="desc"><h4>Fast fact</h4><p>The name Guga S’Thebe comes from the name of the traditional Xhosa platter known as isithebe. </p></div></div><p>It is traditional for people to sit around the isithebe and share a meal. In the same way, the centre is a public space where communities can come together and share their stories. A theatre was added to the cultural centre, as part of the project to develop the Langa Cultural Precinct, revamp the Guga S’Thebe Centre, and preserve Langa’s rich cultural history. You can read more about it below. </p><h2 class="sectHeading">Guga S’Thebe Theatre </h2><p>The theatre can be used for plays, dance, music and film. The centre as a whole services visual arts, design, crafts and performance. </p><h4> How was it built? </h4><p>Together with input from local architect Carin Smuts, the design of the new Guga S’Thebe Theatre was created and donated to the City by the students of: </p><ul><li>RWTH Architecture School in the city of Aachen, Germany;</li><li>CS Studio Architects in Cape Town;</li><li>Peter Behrens School of Arts in the city of Düsseldorf, Germany; and</li><li>Georgia Institute of Technology in the city of Atlanta, Georgia. </li></ul><p>The design of the theatre was based on cutting edge, sustainable design ideas and was completed in partnership with multiple industry and community players. The local residents who helped build the theatre enjoyed temporary employment, learned new skills and received references that can be used when applying for future jobs. </p><p>The new theatre was officially handed over to the City's <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/Departments/Arts%20and%20Culture%20Department">Arts and Culture Department</a> on 23 September 2015.</p><div class="notification with-heading dark-copy light-blue bg-light-grey"><div class="graphic with-border"> <i class="info fastfact"></i> </div><div class="desc"><h4>Fast fact</h4><p>The 200 seat, multi-functional theatre is built out of old shipping containers and recycled wooden fruit crates. The shipping containers improve the sound in the theatre because the corrugated exterior panels soften noise, while the clay and straw used to clad the walls inside the containers help keep the theatre cool in the summer and warm in the winter without the need for a high-tech air-conditioning system. This allows the facility to be used all year round.</p></div></div><h2 class="sectHeading">The Langa Heritage Museum</h2><p>The Langa Heritage Museum is made up of the Old Pass Office and the Old Post Office. </p><p>The Old Pass Office has a sad history of being the ‘gateway’ to the city for migratory workers. Many of these workers were harshly punished when they disobeyed the pass laws of the apartheid era. </p><p>The Pass Office is now used as a space for meetings and heritage workshops, and as a venue where visitors and tourists can learn about the history and urban life of the township.</p><div class="notification with-heading dark-copy light-blue bg-light-grey"><div class="graphic with-border"> <i class="info fastfact"></i> </div><div class="desc"><h4>Fast fact</h4><p>The valuable historical records and artefacts of the museum’s collection are now housed in the nearby Old Post Office building for safe-keeping.</p></div></div>GP0|#0f9e16e7-9e3b-4f14-aec8-7650f944e791;L0|#00f9e16e7-9e3b-4f14-aec8-7650f944e791|Langa Cultural Precinct;GTSet|#ef3a64a2-d764-44bc-9d69-3a63d3fadea1;GPP|#6c76e2f7-4cbf-462e-b191-de905f1ae159;GPP|#07a08cd3-03c2-4703-bb40-76a6c7a471e0;GPP|#c529c1ac-1f8d-48ae-8079-d34f4dae9c57;GP0|#9300ae65-1a57-408c-951e-3ab6f684626d;L0|#09300ae65-1a57-408c-951e-3ab6f684626d|Langa cultural precinct;GPP|#e001a681-3daf-44ca-a7eb-6fa983dcd6e3;GPP|#0c2420be-c66e-49a2-a10b-86921ae3c3c2;GPP|#af370586-9ba3-404a-9d6e-02066ca42752The Langa Cultural Precinct is a vibrant cultural location, accessible and welcoming to residents and visitors alike.0

 

 

Re-imagining Guga S'thebe and Langa Cultural Precinct Project Overview Presentation4323924GP0|#80bb13fd-df6b-452c-8b83-3168050363ea;L0|#080bb13fd-df6b-452c-8b83-3168050363ea|Presentation;GTSet|#f1e8889f-f7d7-4d5b-a3f5-af0ca2e076ea;GPP|#5340fe0b-73a7-472c-bef7-04e450fb5c4f;GPP|#0972c695-fd19-46c4-ab5d-9601f17b780e;GP0|#5e387b81-c9b6-409f-a51c-8bafc84aa690;L0|#05e387b81-c9b6-409f-a51c-8bafc84aa690|Project overview;GPP|#7922fed8-60a6-4fd6-b1c5-ad6347009b362015-12-31T22:00:00Z

 

 

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