Six young technical crew members of South African Roadies Association leave for the US to work on major production
By Edward Tsumele
A group of technical production crew left OR Tambo International Airport, yesterday, Sunday, February 27, 2022 for an opportunity to further polish their skills and in the process earn a living overseas. The six will be joining one of the longest running shows in the US, the Universoul Circus.
The crew all members of the South African Roadies Association (SARA), Kgothatso Mmutle (25) from Segwaelane, North West, Tumelo Mavayela (25) from Meadowlands, Soweto, Avile Landzela (30) from Mangaung, Free State, Moeketsi Tshabalala (30) from Katlehong, Ekhuruleni, Tumelo Mokgotho (33) from Soshanguve, Tshwane and Blondie Sello (37) Mangaung, Free State, were understandably filled with great excitement as they departed OR Tambo for the US last night, as part of SARA’s On-the Job Training program. The youth will be working in the United States for 10 months, getting On-the-Job Training with the world’s renowned Universoul Circus.
The UniverSoul Circus is a single ring circus, established in 1994 by Cedric Walker, an African American man who had a vision of creating a circus with a large percentage of people of colour performing. He began searching for people from all around the world with incredible talents. The circus currently has performers from at least 24 different countries around the world and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.
The UniverSoul Circus base in Atlanta, Georgia, is a world-class live entertainment attraction that has captured the hearts and imaginations of a new generation of families. Celebrating its 27th Anniversary, UniverSoul Circus has come full circle in its influence in the international entertainment marketplace – garnering the distinction of being known as a one-of-a-kind, must see attraction.
The first season of operations brought formidable debt upon the organization. By 1997 the circus tour grew to 10 cities, 19 cities in 1999, 31 cities in 2000, and 32 cities in 2005. A tour of South Africa, the first international destination, was completed in 2001.
SARA and the UniverSoul Circus first began working together in 2002 linking SARA’S On-the-Job Training Program with Universoul Circus’ technical and production crew requirements.
Since, 150 plus young South Africans have each received ten months of On-the-Job paid for training experience in the USA, as part of the UniverSoul Circus “technical and production” crew. Lighting, Sound, staging, Audio Visual, Video- “Technicians” and production are some of the skills which they gained. “life changing for those who make the grade” said SARA.
SARA’S On-the-Job Training Program has seen hundreds of young South Africans receiving world-class technical and production up-skilling in arguably one of the most dynamic and leading entertainment markets in the world, the USA.
South African technical and production skills, as shown by the exportability of the SARA members’ skills, are “skills of the future” and one of the skill sectors offering transferrable skills and sustainable employment, across global markets, notwithstanding the region and the continent, to young people.
This good news comes only a week after SARA was handed over a newly renovated SARA House building, funded by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), and whose renovation was successfully carried out by the Development Bank of Southern Africa in the past 12 months.
At the launch DSAC Minister Nathi Mthethwa pledged the department’s continued support for Sara going forward as he said the association. \which was founded in 1992 by its president Freddie Nyathela, to provided technical and production skills to the youth, though its training and accredited programmes shared the same vision as DSAC. The renovations, which transformed the Newtown building into an almost new, secure and safe building in which to train youth, especially from disadvantaged backgrounds, came at the cost of slightly more than R26 million.
The news of this Government support, which came after protracted disagreements and negotiations between SARA and DSAC over the years, attracted massive support from the arts community throughout the country and internationally, as they argued that this was long overdue as technical and production skills are seen as skills of the future in the face of the world becoming increasingly digital.