Hands On! Masks Off! recipient takes flight!

Last edited: July 02, 2010

Posted by Business and Arts South Africa

The 2009 recipient of a sponsored trip to the Hands On! Masks Off! Workshops at the National Arts Festival is seeing her career take flight.

Natasha Tafari reports that her WordsWORTHSaying platform, in particular, has benefited from the insight she gained during the 2009 Hands On! Masks Off! sessions. She recently staged a WordsWORTHSaying event in Cape Town. “It was my creative baby from conception to execution, including marketing and organising the show,” Tafari proudly reports.

“I am definitely grateful for the knowledge and experience I had been blessed with and am consciously putting that knowledge to work.” this Hip Hop Poetess says.

Tafari has also expanded her reach, working with two partners on the Summergreen’s Residence Association’s 1st Hip-Hop Jam. “This endeavour was initiated by me, and there is an interest in expanding into other areas as well as an interest in Poetry workshops,” she says.

The Hands On! Masks Off! Workshops at the National Arts Festival are sponsored by Business and Arts South Africa.. Tafari was the recipient of a sponsored trip to the festival and workshop in 2009.

The ‘Hands On! Masks Off!” series of workshops, seminars and network opportunities for arts practitioners is described as a “celebration of a growing number of artists who embrace the spirit of entrepreneurship without compromising their artistic integrity”.

The 2010 programme goes under the heading “Say No To The Myth of the Hungry Artist”.

Tafari says last year’s workshops contributed to her increasing ability to “brand myself as a Hip Hop Poetess (which) has helped in breaking through a barrier of anonymity”.

“I'm working towards recording as well – because people need evidence of what one does and need to identify the performer.”

This inspirational young artist says her ultimate aim is to use WordsWORTHSaying and the skills she learnt at ‘Hands On! Masks Off!” “to create a platform for conscious based edutainment”. “My vision is to Uplift for a moment. Inspire for a life time.”

This year’s Hands On! Masks Off! boasts an impressive line-up of speakers, among them the Market Theatre CEO, Sibongiseni Mkize, award-winning publicist, Bridget van Oerle, and theatre pioneer, Peter Hayes.

The workshops and seminars take place at Oatlands School (African Street, Grahamstown) until Saturday, 3 July 2010. The remaining sessions are:

Thursday 1 July
10:00 Understanding management and operations
12:00 English in communities with changing demographics
14:00 Social media: A very good place to start
16:00 Clowning around seriously

Friday 2 July
10:00 The basics of finances
12:00 Is every handshake worth a dollar?
14:00 Social media in action
16:00 Designing posters for maximum impact

Saturday 3 July
10:00 Nothing ventured nothing gained
12:00 Is every handshake worth a dollar
14:00 I did it my way: Janni Younge
16:00 Community theatre: challenging the stereotypes
18:00 Creative Cocktail: National Arts Festival