Fair ground : festival phenomena : an urban park upgrade and transformation of the Southwest Bank of Wemmer Pan in Johannesburg South
Date
2014-10-07
Authors
Serrao, Gabriella
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Abstract
“wherever the human spirit is free, people celebrate. All
cultures commemorate what makes them distinctive and
worthy in their own eyes. Periodically, a common humanity
in us all sets aside the work and worry of everyday life
and blossoms into festivity, sometimes even in the face of
cultural domination and economic deprivation.”
(Rinzler & Seitel, 1982, p.7)
Various cultures exist and the display of specifi c group’s values, traditions and crafts in
the form of an event becomes the ‘exciting experience’ longed for by the inhabitants
of the city who crave an outlet from the everyday pressures and routine of life, desire a
sense of belonging, want to express their suppressed desires or share an interest in the
ideals or products being portrayed. These events require space, of various nature and
size, which facilitate its range of needs from culturally relevant locations to necessary
features. Globally, the urban setting has proved to be ideal when computing these space
requirements and municipalities are going out of their way to create or maintain spaces
to host these events for the wealth of social, spatial and economic stimulation they hold.