In the world spotlight: Makhanda, formerly Grahamstown, the Eastern Cape town uniting to sing away the blues

Makhanda or Grahamstown is a city in the Eastern Cape that is in transition. First came the name change and pressure is mounting to go further and also change the name of its well-known University named after Cecil John Rhodes. Other challenges that the town face, are huge social inequalities and poor service delivery. But this is a town that doesn’t take its challenges lying down. They took their local council to court for service delivery failures and argued successfully that Makana was not living up to its constitutional obligation. This spirit of unity is reflected in an annual choir, the Masicule choir that has been established to coincide with the well-known Arts Festival in Makhanda. The choir and its music have recently been featured in a BBC documentary. Show Director Gareth Walwyn told Biznews that it brings together 550 people from different communities. – Linda van Tilburg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices