Cape Town gears up for Ubuntu Festival

The Ubuntu Festival is co-ordinated through the S A Ubuntu Foundation under the banner of the Amy Biehl Foundation. With the support of Cape Town Tourism, the City of Cape Town and FNB funds raised this year will be dedicated to the new Ubuntu Skills and Development programme, which will be launched with a massive fund-raising drive. Through the generation of funds, the Amy Biehl Foundation - the implementation partner for the programme - will be enabled to roll out this programme at its five centres from early 2012. The key to job creation is empowerment, creativity, clever collaboration and social consciousness, in the true spirit of ubuntu.

Starting with the Ubuntu Breakfast and followed by the Symposium, Friday, 15 July will have young business people bring their experiences to the table.

Tony Ehrenreich, guest speaker

The breakfast will bring people from all walks of life together and will feature Tony Ehrenreich, councillor and provincial secretary of COSATU as the guest speaker. The challenge to the private sector is how to assist in the creation of jobs in South Africa. Unpacking the thinking around this challenge and how the government will assist in the financial facilitation of growing enterprise development will form the core of the presentation.

Then we move on to the Symposium. Young entrepreneurs take the "hot seat" to tell their stories of how they made it in the competitive business world. Key speakers from the government, young entrepreneurs and role models, all experts in their field, will breathe life into entrepreneurial innovation and inspire ideas into the minds of enterprising Capetonians. Here is the inspiration that is needed: to take an idea and turn it into an economically viable business. With the hottest entrepreneurs hosting this event, the Symposium takes a very different slant to previous years.

Ideas, inspiration and innovation

Fresh thinking and a focus on ideas, inspiration and innovation is the key and delegates will be able to learn from the challenges and the successes from the role models. Entrepreneurs include: Jacqui Simpson of Earth Fair Market, Simon Wilson of Cold Turkey, Mpo Doubada of Pimp my Book, and Solly Moeng of Don Valley.

On Saturday, 16 July, as the sun goes down and the lights come up, the Rainbow Room in Mandela Rhodes Place will hop to the sound of Jimmy Dludlu and his band. With a host of hot musos they get us into party mode, ready for Festival Day on Sunday, 17 July, when St George's Mall comes alive and the party starts. Free entry ensures the whole family can come to town.

The Earth Fair Market will be putting on its Sunday best and swelling in size with scores of vendors offering their wares on Festival Day. Its farmers market will be offering produce, gourmet food stalls, crafts and products.

Enjoy the celebratory Pop Up DJs - party-makers of note - and DJs, musicians, singers and dancers will take to the Red Bull stage. This year is not about a grand stage, but more about grand talent and how to make music learning from the pros.

Charity Cook-off

The Charity Cook-off is driven by Three Cities Hotel top chefs who challenge the public to do their 67 minutes of community service by chopping and prepping kilos of ingredients from Shoprite as preparation gets underway for pots and pots of soups and stews. From 10am, the Atrium of Mandela Rhodes Place Hotel and Spa will fill with people doing their "time" to fill those pots. With the endorsement of celebrity chefs, such as Jenny Morris, and support from the Cape Talk and KFM, last year's event attracted many willing participants. The cooked up stews and soups will be distributed to shelters in the city. Come and join the chopping brigade as we aim to beat last year's record of more than two tons of food that were delivered to needy communities.

Mandela Day (Monday, 18 July) is celebrated with a Grand Gala Dinner at the Brio restaurant. This gracious old building was once a bank. A three-course meal will be matched to wine and music and the evening will be a night of celebration as we toast Madiba's birthday.

Enquiries and bookings from www.saubuntu.co.za Sign up and then register for the events.