Ryan Swano
The New Year in Cape Town kicks into 2nd Gear on Tweede Nuwejaar (second day of the new year) when the Kaapse Klopse aka Cape Minstrel Carnival Street Parade splashes the city with troupes in brightly coloured uniforms performing Ghoema music to cheering crowds.
The yearly celebration is the Cape Town’s longest-running carnival and a vital component of our cultural legacy. Marching through the city’s streets are thousands of people dressed in the brightly coloured satin and sequin uniforms with matching umbrellas and creative face art representing their respective ‘klopse‘, which is a synonym for ‘clubs‘.
The troupse of the different klopse march through the street while jolling to banjos, trumpets and drums to create their distinctive ghoema music.
Some of the spectators have been camping out in the city center since wai before sunrise to secure the best veiwing spot along the route of the street parade.
The troupes were arranged such that each performance occurs independently, giving spectators a chance to hear and jol with their favourite troupe. The brass band provides the melody while the percussion provides the heartbeat so that the ‘voorlopertjies’ or non-instrument players can lead the way with flashy dance routines.
Here are some of the photos I took up until around 5pm but the Cape Town Street Parade continued late into the night with some revellers staying over in town to head home at sunrise.
All images are by Ryan Swano
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5
#6
#7
#8
#9
#10
#11
#12
#13
#14
#15
This little Voorlopertjie became a bit worried when he realised how far he would still need to walk and almost cried when his Ouma said that he must walk till it's dark.
He calmed down after his Grandma promised that she will carry when he gets tired.
Leave a Reply
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings
#16
#17
This post was created with our nice and easy submission form. Create your post!
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings