The Barn

The newest addition to MTN BUSHFIRE’s ever-evolving concept, The Barn, was conceptualized in 2012 as an interactive art and dialogue space devoted to free exchange of ideas, performance art, exhibitions, speakers, and round-table discussions.

We at MTN BUSHFIRE believe passionately in the power of art, not just to entertain, but to provoke, to enlighten, to activate.

The interdisciplinary nature of the programme embraces individuals from all walks of life sharing their ideas on positive evolution and development of our communities. Through The Barn, MTN BUSHFIRE hopes to facilitate conversation and encourages participants to be inspired thinkers, doers, artists and visionaries. 2012 participants in included actor and director, Richard E. Grant, indigenous knowledge advocate, Joy Ndwandwe, and restaurateur and indigenous food enthusiast Dolores Goddefory, who helped make The Barn an immediate hit.

Our theme this year is, Bring Your Fire, Igniting a collective response for positive change. The Bring Your Fire philosophy is a conscious attempt to engage artists and audiences alike to bring their voice, to bring their contribution in whichever way they can, igniting a collective response for positive change.  We believe that The Barn is an apt forum to explore this philosophy, allowing participants to engage more deeply with a variety of politically and socially engaging topics.

THE BARN 2013 PROGRAMME

In 2013, The Barn features an exciting variety of exhibitions and renowned speakers including adventurer Kingsley Holgate, author Elias Masilela and a plenary focusing on women and socio-economic development in Swaziland. The Barn also features, ‘Talking Doors’ an interactive live art installation designed to encourage audience participation and engagement with the festival theme ‘Bring Your Fire!’

Sam Duby, a specialist in low-cost renewable energy technologies and Rooted Soulz poetry collective will also be joining the line-up at The Barn. The women of Gone Rural will present an exhibition of their latest range, The Song of the Weaver.

	Kingsley Holgate is considered one of Africa`s most colourful modern-day explorers. A humanitarian, adventurer, author, TV Personality and fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Kingsley has embraced every country on the African continent to include its island states, all along using adventure to improve and save lives.
	Elias Masilela’s book, “Number 43 Trelawney Park: kwaMagogo” provides an interesting perspective to Swaziland’s role in the struggle for South Africa’s liberation. The book was amongst a few select titles identified to represent South Africa at the London Book Fair Market Focus in April 2010.  Masilela joined Sanlam as Head of Policy Analysis. Masilela is also one of 24 commissioners of the National Planning Commission, tasked with producing a national development plan and development vision statement for South Africa.
	Dr Sam Duby grew up in Swaziland and is a specialist in low-cost renewable energy technologies. He is currently working in Kenya, where he has set up Access:Energy an organisation applying the latest technological innovations to the problem of financially sustainable provision of renewably sourced electricity for rural communities.
	Prior to coming to Swaziland in 2004 as a Peace Corps volunteer, Steve Kallaugher was an executive at The Wall Street Journal. The founder of Young Heroes, he is now the president of the Young Heroes Foundation in the USA and will be speaking on society and philanthropy.
	Doo Aphane is a human rights and gender specialist, working as Director of Women for Women Development Consultancy.  She is the founding National Coordinator of Women and Law in Southern Africa Trust (Swaziland chapter). She has conducted action research in different family law areas, leading to several co-authored publications on family law. Aphane has also worked as founding Regional Coordinator for Women’s Legal Rights Initiative operating in six Southern African countries.
	Tonik (South Africa). Tonik is an integrated visual and auditory experience, created by the combined talents of Jann Krynauw and Ronan Skillen. The duo blends multiple textures which are looped and layered in real time and listened to through wireless headphones.
	Rooted Soulz is Swaziland's premier poetry platform. Its’ influence goes well beyond the local arena and has reached international stages including: ARTS ALIVE (Johannesburg), NATIONAL POETRY SLAM (Reunion Islands), CULTURE FRANCE (Mozambique), CUP O'THOUGHT (Durban).
	Song of the Weaver, Exhibition by Gone Rural. Inspired by three generations of weavers from one family, The Song of the Weaver tells the stories of the Gone Rural women. As their hands work, they sing their tales, their memoirs captured in every strand.
	Talking Doors is a collaborative installation between regional graffiti artists, Yebo! ArtReach and the surrounding Mahlanya community, designed to encourage audience participation with specific reference to the theme of the festival ‘Bring Your Fire!’
	Yebo! ArtReach is a non-profit organisation in the Kingdom of Swaziland. Founded in 2011 as an extension of Yebo! Art Gallery, together they work with local artists in running arts-related outreach projects and workshops. In 2012, ArtReach was registered as a NGO, primarily to address the lack of arts awareness and creative education in Swaziland.
	Indigo is a visual artist, writer, dancer and curator currently bouncing between Vancouver and Cape Town.  Her creative practice explores human emotion, personal story and memory through a wide range of mediums and disciplines. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and seen on the streets in Canada, the United States, the UK, Western Europe, Russia and South Africa.