I am the type of person who will own up when I have made a mistake.
My Moppie King column of last week, which was built around the Tweede Nuwejaar parade possibly being shifted to March in the near future, has been completely rejected by the Kaapse Klopse Karnival Assosiasie (KKKA).
The KKKA then invited me for a meeting to set the record straight with clear facts.
But before I even begin to go into the topic, I would like to let it be known that some of the statements in that column were based on questions being asked by the public, who are wondering where we stand with Klops this season.
So my column was not completely based on facts, but on sentiment, and for this I sincerely apologise.
With that said, some good did come from my error, in the form of a fruitful meeting with Muneeb Gambeno and Melvyn Matthews from the KKKA.
FRUITFUL MEETING: Muneeb Gambeno of KKKA
And I can now confidently say that the 2018 Klopse season is in good hands.
The organisation is aiming to give the people of Cape Town the highly anticipated spectacular they deserve, starting with painting our beloved culture with a positive brush.
PREPARING: Melvyn Matthews (organiser) and Toyer Abrahams at Cape Town Stadium
I was quite taken by the fact that the KKKA already had a four-year plan in place, and let me be the first to say that it definitely does not include shifting the road march to another date.
And for those of us who are still confused, ALL teams are allowed to participate in the Tweede Nuwejaar road march, regardless of which board you are affiliated to.
The vision of the KKKA, who has won the tender to use Cape Town Stadium as one of the performance venues for the coming season, is to fill up the stadium to its 60 000 capacity.
But this cannot be done overnight, hence the four-year plan.
It is also quite a relief to know that mainstream businesses and media companies have come on board to help brand and promote the carnival and our culture with the type of positive news it rightfully deserves.
Get ready, Capetonians! If you thought seeing a painted face on the front page of a newspaper was a tribute to our culture, imagine how you will feel when the front page of GQ magazine is covered in shiny glitter and shimmering sequinned gear with a Klopsman sticking out his tongue.
And just for extra effect, he’d have a
jingle innie hand.
The elderly have an expression: “Ek maakie my kinnes groot vir my nie, ek maak hulle groot vir anne mense”.
This is an important statement when it comes to Klops. You see, we practise whole year to showcase our talent to our audiences, year in and year out.
And while we appreciate the support from our die-hard fans, we also would love to show the rest of the world what we worked for the whole year.
This is an opportunity that the KKKA have with the Cape Town Stadium and also road march which they are well aware of.
We all know that the Klopse is a huge tourist attraction and how amazing would it be to showcase our music like moppies, coonsongs and groupsongs to a national and international audience?
While speaking to the KKKA leaders, I could see that this is what they are ultimately aiming for.
The intention of these leaders is clear and their hearts are in the right place.
Also, one could feel the baton being handed over by the present leaders to the new generation to carry our culture into its next golden era.
As I sipped my coffee, I almost felt ashamed listening to these future plans, because just last week I questioned whether they will sell us out.
Well, it’s clear to me now that they won’t not on paper and not on the ground.
The KKKA is building a Kaapse Klopse carnival for the people.