Despite the ongoing gang violence that has plagued the community of Manenberg, one resident has won the hearts of social media by transforming Thames Walk into a cinema and safe space for children.
Darion Adams, 32 is the founder of The AIM Society (Arts In Manenberg) and an established dancer, choreographer, arts administrator and project manager.
His organisation has grown into a dynamic multi-disciplinary platform supporting emerging artists, hosting community events from dance workshops to public screenings and critical conversations.
Darion said he hoped to build bridges between creativity and social justice.
Darion explained: “AIM is a company that seeks to contribute to the cultural landscape of Manenberg and surrounding communities by producing art spaces where the community is exposed, engaged and educated by using art as a medium to produce culture and advocacy.”
Recently, Darion’s movie night has been making the rounds on social media where children from the community are welcome to enjoy a mixture of films.
He said that this is a start to create safe spaces through art, with plans to re-launch a dance school in 2026 with an educational program which will be free for laaities.
The artist added: “The movie happens after sunset for the best viewing we can offer. It’s a fully-fledged Thames Walk and growing community effort.
"I felt that I needed to do something urgently, I have the equipment from previous screenings. Fatima Van Der Lingen and I run the screenings and do the setup.
"We decided whose house we were using. We got the leads from my neighbour next door, mats for the kids to sit on downstairs, the neighbours and Arshad Segal (@chasing_dreams on Tiktok) made the first donation of popcorn and cool drinks. My neighbours made it and packaged it.
"We want to move throughout the street to different homes transforming our road into a cinema for kids. No wall will be left untouched."
"At The AIM Society we believe that community is not just an idea. It is a call to action. Unity in community exist when the solution to the problem is actioned and not waited upon. I simply bring the equipment. The community does the rest. I just simply lead without authority.
"At AIM we use art (dance, film, live performance, workshops and dialogue) as a unifying tool that allows us to transcend beyond our circumstances for brief moments, the art is curated specifically with the intentions to mobilise new thinking and improved ways to exist amongst each other. We love Manenberg and the people and we are putting action to change.”
The movie night will run every second Saturday with the next one being on 27 September at 7pm in Thames Walk.