HERITAGE RACE IN THE CITY



Above: The slogan and logo of Nike,
RUN FREE JOZI.



  

Above: View of the 10,000 runners who
participated in RUN FREE JOZI CAMPAIGN.
Johannesburg CBD,Johaanesburg,South Africa.



Newtown,Johannesburg hosts variuos activities based on heritage,culture,diversity and many initiated campaigns and sharing further experience about Newtown Johannesburg with I would gladly like to share one campagin that took place on 21st March 2012 in the evening.....

I was really impressed and proud to learn that Nike took part in celebrating Heritage and Freedom in the City,as I heard and saw the race and loud from my bedroom window with the 10,000 people who participated in the campaign they ran called; The Nike Run Free, Run Jozi campaign. Runners taking back to the street of Johannesburg,the race started at the iconic Nelson Mandela Bridge and concluded at Newtown’s Mary Fitzgerald Square.  On route, participants passed landmarks such as Luthuli House, City Hall, The Carlton Centre, Ellis Park, Ponte, Constitution Hill and The Market Theatre.  As it began at 7pm, one of the major attractions of the event was that it all happened at night- a time usually associated with quiet streets in downtown Joburg. Often spoken in same breath as economic decline and rises in the crime rate, the city of Johannesburg is, in fact, a remarkable, bustlingand attractive place and, on March 21^st, it saw one-of-a-kind interaction between the city and its nocturnal, fitness-conscious residents.

People watched the fireworks in delight from the high rise building of Sunshine Studios, on the corner of Henri and Smit streets in Braamfontein and some headed down into the city to watch the events unfold which has been a memorable experience in its own right. 

Organisers announced that the race would be the first of its kind in Africa.

Among those witnessing the launch were the members of the mayoral committee for community development, Chris Vondo, and for health and human development, Nonceaba Molwele, the City’s director of networks and stakeholder relations, Jabu Nkosi, and other City officials.

It ended at Mary Fitzgerald Square in Newtown, where there was a celebratory chill-out zone. Runners and their supporters were able to relax and zone, and there was be plenty of music and other forms of entertainment, says the organisers.



Above: slogan and logo of Run Free Run Jozi.
The Nike takkie symbolises the incorporation of
Sporting culture and Global diversity.





Above: The runners were encouraged to "Take back the streets."
photo from DAILYMAVERICK



HERITAGE TRAIL

 

 SYMBOLS OF NEWTOWN IDENTIFIED

 "It is important to celebrate Johannesburg’s unique culture, diverse communities and rich history. Offering shared symbols which build social cohesion, contribute to civic pride and help forge a positive identity for the city. Through this I will show this part of johanneburg CBD's identity and vision, while individuals and community groups in neighbourhoods are also empowered to express their unique identities. This should create awareness, create opportunities for artists, designers and fabricators. Further,this should help with the development and economic growth through raising confidence, attracting visitors and stimulating investment."

Mary Fitzgerald Square

Above: Mary Fitzgerald Square,Newtown,Johannesburg,South Africa.
Photo taken by Ossewa.

This historic square was originally a wagon site. First known as Aaron’s Ground, then as Market Square, it was renamed in 1939 after Mary Fitzgerald, the first female trade unionist in South Africa and the first female public office holder in Johannesburg. Throughout the first half of the 20th century, political and labour meetings were held here. Cultural performances and traditional stick-fighting also took place here and brought new culture fusions to the city. The square is now the center of Newton’s cultural district.




         Wooden Heads


Above:Wooden Heads,Newtown,Johannesburg.
These are Wooden heads are placed throught
the Newtown precint.

The 560 carved wooden heads dotted on plinths throughout the Newtown precinct reflect a sea of faces from Africa. The artists, Simon Guambe, Petrus Matsolo, Dan Guambe and Joe Matola, intended these heads to reflect African diversity. They symbolise how for the better part of the last century, Newtown was home to thousands of migrants from throughout Africa and the world.









  Banner of Hope


Above: The metre wide concrete Banner of
HOPE.Newtown,Johannesburg.
The Banner of Hope Steel sculptuure
in South Africa.



The Bannner of Hope steel sculpture of the South African flag stands approximately three storeys high and 7 meters wide on a concrete plinth in front of the Sci-Bono Discovery Centre. The facets of the flag have been twisted and creatively re-arranged. The sculpture was a gift from the people of the Netherlands and was unveiled on the occasion of the opening of Radio Freedom at the Institute of Broadcast Journalism on 22 September 1995. Radio Freedom was the African National Congress’s radio station that was banned throughout the apartheid years. Activists in the townships used to huddle around their radios to tune into the station and listen to the voices of their leaders in exile. The sculpture was intended to honour of the ‘right to freedom of expression that had, at the timebeen enshrined   in the interim Constitution of South Africa.













        Kippie ‘Morolong’ Moeketsi

Above:

Artists artists Guy du Toit and Egon Tania with

the sculpture of Kippie ‘Morolong’ Moeketsi.

Born in 1925 and died in 1983.

A life-size bronze sculpture of legendary musician Kippie Moeketsi was unveiled outside the renovated venue of the same name in the Market Theatre Precinct in August 2009. The sculpture, by artists Guy du Toit and Egon Tania, is an emotional work that celebrates the life and brilliant work of Kippie whilst resonating with a melancholy for which he was also known.
The story goes that when playing bebop, Kippie's fingers ran along his saxaphone like rolling stones, which is how he acquired the nickname 'Morolong'.

Paper Pigeon



Above: Pigeon Square,Newtown,Johannesburg.

Paper Pigeon is a sculptural collaboration between artists Gerhard Marx and Maja Marx. Three large origami-like pigeons standing at a height of three meters, dwarf pedestrians passing Pigeon Square, Ferreirasdorp, Johannesburg.
Constructed from steel, these large pigeons reference the oriental paper folding technique known as origami, paying homage to the Chinese community that has played a significant role in this part of the city. The sculpture highlights the iconic presence of pigeons on Pigeon Square, not only in its visual reference to the pigeon as image, but also in serving as a perching pedestal for the vast resident pigeon community of Ferreirasdorp. Perching rods have been attached to the sculpture in positions that choreograph the visual impact of the birds: the darker shapes of the perched birds complete the recognisable tonal markings of the Paper Pigeon sculpture.