By SAMANTHA CAROLUS 2019 will see Spiritfest celebrating the Arts in the context of the Christian faith with an array of new items, along with the familiar favourite performances and events. Spiritfest runs throughout the National Arts Festival, from 27 June to 7 July. Spiritfest favourites which return this year include the Lucernarium, St Michael’s Marimbas and familiar Sunday worship services. Bell-Ringing in the Cathedral Tower, which has been part of Spiritfest for many years but unfortunately was missing last year, is making a return to the programme. New to Spiritfest this year on the worship side will be a Feesdiens…
Author: Samantha Carolus
By Samantha Carolus Fafa Hopkins, singer and poet, will feature at Spiritfest this year performing ‘Domestic Canticles’, a selection of song-poems from Chris Mann’s volume of poems and meditations, ‘Epiphanies’. Fafa Hopkins is the stage-name of Chris Mann, Emeritus Professor of Poetry at Rhodes. Mann explains: “This show draws on the exciting findings of contemporary neural science, a worldwide movement that reinterprets academic disciplines from psychology to economics from a new perspective.” ‘Epiphanies’ are described by him as songs and poems which bring “a flicker of transcendent joy”. ‘Epiphanies’ has something for everyone. Romantics will enjoy ‘Dancing in the Royal Hotel’, and ‘Night-flying’, based on a painting of flying…
By Samantha Carolus Bringing a sense of quiet and calm to the busyness of Festival, Spiritfest’s Guided Prayer is a chance to give oneself the opportunity of a quiet time and space to become aware of God’s presence in one’s life. Sister Ursula will lead the guided prayer sessions, with the help of Sister Geraldine. They are members of the St Patrick’s Church community and will be prayer companions throughout the sessions. Guided prayer, a form of guided meditation, can be described as an adventure of prayer in the midst of your daily life. Some of the benefits of guided…
By Samantha Carolus Spiritfest 2018 will present two sculptures by Neil Jonker which will be exhibited in the Cathedral this year. The two bronze sculptures, ‘Weary at the Truth’ and ‘The Reverend’ are moulded after two famous Anglicans, Fr. Trevor Huddleston and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu. The two men of the cloth are depicted in the realist tradition of bronze sculpture. As an artist, Jonker explores relationships with nature and human nature. Born in 1971, Jonker grew up on a small Karoo farm and now resides in Baardskeerdersbos in the southern Overberg region. As a trained sculptor with a National…
By Samantha Carolus This year, will see Spiritfest celebrating the Arts in the context of the Christian faith with an array of new items, along with the familiar favourite performances and events. Spiritfest runs throughout the National Arts Festival, from June 28 to July 8. Spiritfest favourites which return this year include the Lucernarium, St Michael’s Marimbas, 40 Stones in the Wall Group Exhibition, Guided Prayer, as well as an Open Mic session for poetry, story, music and sacred text lovers. New to Spiritfest in 2018 will be some Christian Meditation sessions led by visitors from the World Community for…
The author: Photo: Samantha Carolus By Samantha Carolus This year under Spiritfest’s Winter School theme of ‘The Spiritual journey’, a book by Jeanette Eve will be launched. Reminders of Connectedness contains poems which Eve has written over a number of years. The poetry follows themes of: Reflective, Landscape, Close-up and Meditative. Eve has always had a great love for English literature and poetry. Born in Pretoria, schooled at St Mary’s Diocesan School for Girls, and graduating from Rhodes University with a bachelor’s degree in English and History, she then moved on to obtain her teaching diploma from Pretoria University. Eve then…
Bradley Betts and Amy Baily were crowned the Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year 2017 respectively, when the Rhodes Sports Awards cocktail function was held this week. Betts is a member of the Rowing Club and won Sportsman of the Year for the second consecutive year, while Baily is a member of the Dancesport Club. The annual awards evening took place on Wednesday evening at Prime nightclub on New Street, under the theme “The purple shall govern”–all décor and drinks were purple, black and white, making the overall evening a great success. The event began by honouring the 2016 winners,…
Toni Rafferty, a Diocesan School for Girls pupil who swims with the Aquabear swimming club, has done well for herself in the pool over the past weeks and at the age of 15, has qualified and swam in a final and semi-final at the South African Senior Nationals after winning two gold medals at the South African Junior Nationals competition. In March, Rafferty swam in the SA Junior Nationals Champions competition in Durban and won gold medals for 100m and 50m freestyle. She swam the 100m freestyle in a grand time of 58.69, over and above this impressive time Rafferty…
Thee DSG 1st team netball took part in the St Stithians Ester Sport Festival played over this past week; playing against the likes of Krugersdorp HS, Trinityhouse, Fourways HS, St Dominic’s, Tholulwazi, Reddam and Saints GC. Over the seven games, DSG won an impressive five, drew one and lost just once. The DSG girls lost to Krugersdorp HS 33-18, drew against St Dominic’s at 25 goals and beat, Trinityhouse 24-10, Fourways HS 27-24, Tholulwazi 34-24, Reddam 25-24 and in an intense final, beat host school Saints GC 28-21. The girls were able to play to the best of their individual…