Our stomachs dropped to our feet as we drove around the Kayamandi township in Stellenbosch, past corrugated iron shacks and neighbours braaiing together amidst large clouds of smoke as their kids and dogs played happily in the street. We’d forgotten to plan our route beforehand and were unsure of whether we were in the right place. But just a little further along the road, we stumbled across the restaurant. It was hard to miss. The building practically shouted AMAZINK! in bright colours and lights.

The Kayamandi township was built for farm workers of the Stellenbosch region during apartheid. And since 2011, AmaZink Live, South Africa’s first township theatre, has lured countless tourists out of their fancy Stellenbosch hotel rooms to experience “real” township life. This authentic cultural musical runs every Friday night and unravels a storytelling adventure where you can see, hear, smell, and taste the flavour of South Africa through anecdotes, music, and “lekka kasi” (tasty township) cuisine.

Inside, there was a bustling chaos of bodies waiting for drinks at the bar, a small proudly Mzansi crafter’s market flaunting beadwork and African paintings, and a crowd of people of all race, culture, and creed chatting to each other and sending a mingling of accents across the room towards us.  The meaning of Kayamandi (“home sweet home” in isiXhosa) was evident from the get-go.

The large room can seat 120 people with a bar, several banquet tables, and a buffet station. We were welcomed by a friendly faced man who dutifully pointed out the various seating options available. We chose two spots opposite a German radio DJ and his wife, who greeted us and then proceeded to pretend we weren’t there for the rest of the evening. You meet all sorts of people here. I’d recommend picking seats at either end of the table as the performers migrate between 3 stages – on the left hand side, middle, and right hand side – so that everyone in the crowd gets to enjoy a bit of the front row action.

We grabbed our plates and headed over to the buffet table where two smiling women piled our plates high with chicken, pumpkin fritters, boerewors, lamb chops, salad, pap, and deep fried bread. The pap had a distinct taste of “nothingness” without the gravy but the pumpkin fritters and meat were the juiciest and tastiest I’d had in years.

As the lights dimmed, we hurried inside and took our seats. The storyline follows the lives of the AmaZink Allstars: the rather crude and miserable Patricia Jones, her dreadlocked cousin, Fix Marwana, and her unfaithful lover, Musa Mavundla, who are dubbed local celebrities after performing overseas. The plotline touches on South Africa’s tumultuous history, with symbols of hope, courage, and peace shining through proudly South African music. The show makes references to several South African legends like Madiba, Desmond Tutu, Jan van Riebeeck, Miriam Makeba, Johnny Clegg, and even Riaan Cruywagen and Oscar Pistorius (the latter was followed by a shower of “too soons!”). The show is very similar to the Barnyard Theatre but much more engaging. Audience participation and interaction is not only acceptable, but encouraged. You’re invited to sing along to the songs – even if you don’t know the words. The only thing you’re not able to do is take videos.

Favourite songs include “My African Dream” by Vicky Sampson, “The Click Song” by Miriam Makeba, “Great Heart” by Johnny Clegg & Savuka, “Kaptein” by Kurt Darren, and “Special Star” and “Hellfire” by Mango Groove. In fact, many of the songs were covers of Mango Groove, a South African Afropop band and the first of only two South African music groups with both black and white band members during the apartheid era (the other being Johnny Clegg & Juluka). My favourite moment was when the surprisingly deep voiced Ramaine (Patricia) sang “Strong Enough” by Cher. I don’t think there was a single person without goosebumps.

It’s quite hard to believe that besides two professional performers, Ramaine Barreiro-Lloyd and O’Ryan Winter (Fix Marwana), the entire Kayamandi Allstars cast has been assembled from Kayamandi residents with no previous acting experience. Under Ramaine’s guidance and training, these amateurs have been sculpted into true stars, ready to rock your socks off!

We were invited to enjoy energetic gumboot dancing in the outdoor amphitheatre. Overlooking the Simonsberg Mountain and city lights, the amphitheatre was filled with several fire braziers providing a warm, albeit short, reprieve from the cold, and a woman clad in African dress speckled expectant guests with white face paint. The performance was accompanied by African drums, girls dressed in midriff-bearing Springbok jerseys and denim shorts, and guys in leopard print wife beaters. The noisy clapping and slapping of hands and legs almost made it worth the cold.

We bounced on our seats through the rest of the show, trying not to be the first to jump up and dance like idiots. At the end of the evening, each performer grabbed a member of the audience and took them up on stage to learn a dance. It was all great fun, but it didn’t take long to realise that my sister and I were the only uncoordinated white girls dancing on stage. Luckily, no one at AmaZink Live cares what you look like, how you dance, or about the colour of your skin – everyone dances and sings along like one big happy family! 

Buffet dinner

There is one rule for AmaZink Live: Come hungry. The buffet is available at R85 a person and includes a variety of traditional foods like boerewors, braaied chicken, and lamb chops served with a selection of salad, pumpkin fritters, pap, and deep fried bread.

Helpful details:

• Website: AmaZink Live
• Contact: +27 (0)82 689 6382
• Time: Every Friday. Doors open at 19h00, show starts at 20h00
• Address: Corner of Hani and Masitandane Roads, Kayamandi, Stellenbosch
• GPS: -33.916249, 18.849015
• Book now: bookings@amazink.co.za
• Get social: Follow AmaZink Live on Twitter and Facebook. Tweet your thoughts to @LekkeSlaap

Directions

From Stellenbosch: Take the left Kayamandi turn off from the R304 and follow the circle around to the right along Masitandane Road until you reach the restaurant on your right hand side (at the corner of Hani and Masitandane Roads). It’s hard to miss it.

Have you been to AmaZink Live? We highly recommend it! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, or tweet your thoughts to @AmaZinkLive and @LekkeSlaap! Make a weekend of it and find your accommodation in Stellenbosch.