Northern Cultural and Heritage Festival

Every community has a history and every culture has a heritage…

With September being Heritage Month, Helenvale in Mandela Bay will celebrate the Northern Area's very rich cultural history and heritage. “The time has come for us to tell our stories to the world and to honour our unsung heroes and heroines in a proper manner and to display our talents and gifts” These are the sentiments of Billy Paulson, initiator of the project and founder of the Northern Arts Festival.

Thursday 24 September on National Heritage Day from 9:00 to 20:00 the Northern Area of Port Elizabeth will host its first ever Cultural and Heritage Festival. This is a milestone for the Northern Area that has a history of violence, gangsterism and substance abuse. Yet through all of the negativity, many positive stories and legacies are found entrenched in this community.

“All families have stories they can tell about each other when they are together and special customs, recipes, and other traditions that only they know.  We have many occupations in our community, each have their own special, stories, tools, and customs example, baker, teacher, computer programmer, car mechanic, salesman, nurse, or factory worker etc. The Northern Area boasts with incredible talent but lack the infrastructure continual ongoing process of creating platforms to showcase these talents in our community. The aim of the project is to preserve the culture and to protect the heritage of the Northern Area. The Northern Cultural and Heritage Festival (NCAHF) is the first initiative of its kind and will be hosted on an annual basis”. Says Mr Paulson

The one day festivities include the showcasing of the various cultural aspects of the community and activities such as various Traditional Foodstalls, Brass Bands, Marching Bands, Sports, Traditional Games, Poetry, Story-telling, Drum Majorettes, Visual Artists, Musicians and Singers and Dancers.   

Northern Cultural & Heritage Festival (NCAHF) will kick off with a parade through the community from 09h00 to 11h00… The Mayor, Danny Jordaan is giving the event his full support and will officially open the programme which commences at 11:00 from the Helenvale Primary School...Everyone in Nelson Mandela Bay is invited to experience the heritage and culture of a very colourful Community and sample the best traditional foods exclusively prepared just for you. Curry Bunnies, Bunny Chows, Biryani, Gatsby, Koesisters, Samosas, Samp and Beans to name a few, just to whet your appetite.

Entry is free and we hope to see you there.