Cape Coons

A coon posed with us for a group pic during interval

I've just attended a performance by the Cape Coons at the Guild Theatre here in East London. I never knew the background of the Coons before tonight and its history is really quite interesting. During the period of slavery in South Africa, coloured people were given time off from work to celebrate New Year. The celebrations included face painting, dancing and singing and this continued years after slavery was abolished.

The Cape Town Coon Carnival is held annually in Cape Town beginning on New Years Day and continuing right into January. The festivities include street parades, singing, costume competitions and so much more...

Here is just a tiny clip of what the show was like: .....it would have been longer, but my memory card was full :(



Here's another short clip of one of the songs that were performed: