On Saturday 19 November 2022, hordes of music enthusiasts and artists came at Mmabana Taung Regional Centre for the Taung Cultural Calabash (TCC) 2022, to celebrate and appreciate the unique talent Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati and the North West province is blessed with. The event was eventually and successfully hosted following unfortunate incidents which resulted in the Foundation not being able to implement the event on the date initially planned.
In attendance was Mmabana Board of directors’ chairperson Ms. Karabo Magagane and members of the board, Mr Allen Mukansi from the Cultural Development Directorate of the national Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, the acting chief executive officer of Mmabana Mr. Paul Malatsi including the provincial Department of Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation management from the head office and the district.
In response to the economic impact the TCC added to the North West Province, Ms. Magagane said, “TCC has always enabled artists from across the province to showcase their talent and creativity. This started with auditions which were adjudicated across all four districts and that enabled economic stimulus and injection to the area of auditions. This also presented an opportunity for artists to win and earn price money’s at the auditions.
This stimulus is carried through into Taung where the main TCC event was held. All guesthouses around Taung were fully booked. Followed by increase in spending at eateries and other businesses. This translated into cash injection towards Taung economy for the weekend. To sustain the TCC, we need to bring in sponsors and grow the entity to international level and focus on the unique offerings of the event which in its nature is a cultural extravaganza”. Mr Paul Malatsi, the acting CEO added by saying “TCC 2022 was indeed a success.
On behalf of the entity, I would like to convey my utmost gratitude to the MACSF and ACSR teams for the outstanding work done from the auditions and provincial competitions, up to the last phase of the TCC programme being the main festival held in Taung over the past weekend. While there are lessons learned from the event, MACSF will continue to improve and make the event better year on year, remaining prudent in its mandate to develop, foster, enhance and promote total spectrum of arts, artistic sport and supporting skills, expertise, technology and excellence in the North West Province and South Africa”.
Mr Malatsi concluded by stating that the preparations for the 2023 TCC will commence in January 2023 by MACSF management in consultations with all stakeholders. TCC is a project of the Mmabana Arts, Culture and Sport Foundation and was fi¬rst installed in September 1994 as a youth-based arts programme held annually in the village of Lokaleng, in the Greater Taung Local Municipality that is set out to discover and develop talent.
