WALE 5.0 celebrating 90 years of creativity at Wits

Wits celebrates 90 years of existence in 2012 and the Wits Art and Literature Experience 2012 –WALE 5.0 for short – will be one of the many highlights of this year-long celebration.

The countdown to WALE 5.0, taking place from 9-12 May 2012, has begun and the programme promises to be packed with poignant, exciting performances. The annual festival promises to be a cutting edge mix of all things artistic and is a welcome addition to the Johannesburg arts calendar, promising to have something for everyone.

Now in its fifth year, WALE 5.0 truly lives up to its name and will offer an unforgettable experience featuring a jam-packed programme including a parade, concerts, dance, theatre, music, film, literature, fine art and photography.

The WALE 5.0 programme offers a heady mix of upcoming and established talent as well as the introduction of new artistic works, with daily free concerts on the Wits Library Lawns, forming the pulsating heart of WALE 5.0. This year’s diverse programme includes book launches, exhibitions, round table discussions, theatre and dance productions, hosting more than 35 diverse artistic items over four days. All events are open to the public.

Wits prides itself on not only being an academic space where theories are pontificated, experiments conducted and research published, but also a creative space, a place of ideas, original thought and a hive of knowledge. Wits provides a complete educational experience, taking into account all aspects of life – where the tri-dimensional alliance of students, lecturers and alumni take an active part in all Wits activities.

Wits offers courses in all the arts disciplines and it is from this rich cultural and creative capital that WALE draws its diverse offerings. WALE is not just an arts showcase, the majority of productions and exhibitions are in-house and form a valuable part of the participants’ learning experience.

“The experimental element is an integral part of WALE,” says Professor Tawana Kupe, WALE founder and Champion-in-Chief. “For WALE 5.0 the emphasis is on further embedding a tradition of celebrating arts and culture, and providing our students and society with balanced knowledge of the world. We want to encourage students who experience the impact of WALE to go into their communities and initiate arts and culture projects and festivals,” continues Kupe.

WALE has come into its own and forms the peak of Wits’ offering of a series of public events throughout the year – such as the Africa Day celebrations in May and the Drama for Life programme, to name a few. Prof. Kupe adds: “Wits is a public university and by maximising the utilisation of public spaces, further contributes to the democratisation of art. WALE as an annual event adds choice to the cultural landscape of Johannesburg, Africa and the world. Interfacing with the city and public access is crucial to the success of WALE.”

For a full programme and details of each event go to www.wits.ac.za/wale updated regularly with news around WALE 5.0.