A unique celebration of art, heritage, and environmental consciousness will be on full display across the Southern Suburbs this weekend.
The highly anticipated Recall the Animals Sculpture Performance Parade will take place on Saturday 10 October, tracing a celebratory route from the Retreat Civic Centre to the historic waters of Princess Vlei Park to honour the ancient living web of the Cape ecosystem.
Community contribution
The public program starts at 1:30 pm at the Retreat Civic Centre with animal-inspired dance routines performed by talented learners from local schools, including Levana, Rosmead, Harmony, and Hillwood Primary.
Following the youth performances, the Jungle Theatre Company will take the stage at 2:00 pm to present The Python & the Qunube Tree, a theatrical production that brings ancient stories of animal wisdom to life.
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At 3:00 pm, the vibrant public parade will depart the civic centre, winding its way through the community of Sasmeer Estate toward Princess Vlei.
The day culminates at 3:30 pm with a lakeside ceremony featuring the Sbo’ Ndaba Dance group to officially unveil a monumental new eco-sculpture.
Art celebration
Renowned Cape Town sculptor Angela Mac Pherson, leading an eco-sculpture learning journey team alongside artist Xolani Bukani and emerging local creators Samaa Etherael and Chayle Max, has spent the week installing a temporary, 4-metre-tall African Goliath Heron (Ardea goliath) directly into the shallows of Princess Vlei.
Funded by the City of Cape Town, the creation is a collaborative project between the Princess Vlei Forum and KURUfynbos (a creative fynboslife project).
Built to echo the fragile balance of nature, the giant bird features a internal frame of galvanised mild steel meticulously woven with indigenous Bullrush reeds (Typa capensis, or Papkuil) harvested straight from the banks of the Vlei.
Coloured with harmless zinc-based pigments, all materials will safely and naturally disintegrate back into the earth over time.The organisers have extended an open invitation to all residents to join the festivities, reflecting on how human actions affect the environment, and collectively honouring our “animal teachers, past and present.”
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