Motel Mari will be performing at the Soweto Art and Craft Fair at the Soweto Theatre.

HEAD down to the Soweto Theatre in Bolani Road, Jabulani, Soweto, Johannesburg, from 12 pm to 7 pm on Saturday, May 7, and join in the celebrations for the Soweto Art and Craft Fair’s fourth birthday.

The event promises to be a colourful explosion of all things local and gloriously African.

The range of proudly Mzansi goodies on offer range from fashion and food, to art, home-decor and more; all set to the backdrop of live performances throughout the day. The festivities will culminate in a Concerts SA supported performance, by Motel Mari, a group made up of João Orecchia, Mpumelelo Mcata and Tshepang Ramoba.

Shortly after landing in Johannesburg in 2004, Orecchia, a Brooklyn-born and schooled wanderer, who wound up in Berlin as a teenager messing with experimental punk before moving years later to South Africa, heard some talk about a psychedelic Afro-rock outfit called BLK JKS. They became fast friends and have been working together on projects ever since.

Mpumi and Tshepang (guitar and drums respectively) contributed to João’s 2009 album, Hands & Feet, and would often join him on stage, adding thunderous beats and general bigness to the otherwise textural and floating soundscapes. Slowly they started becoming a band.

Admission to the Soweto Art and Craft Fair is free.