Buhle Sithela’s Vuma Pop Up Cinema brings the movie experience to kids in the township
The 26-year-old from Khayelitsha in Cape Town has created a project that provides a safe space for kids to be educated and entertained.
Located in the south of Cape Town’s Khayelitsha township is Harare, the area which Buhle Sithela calls home and where he held his first screening for his mobile movie experience known as the Vuma Pop Up Cinema, which creates safe movie experiences for children in townships on weekends and during the holidays.
Born and raised in the area by a single parent, 26-year-old Buhle spent his childhood playing soccer and other games with his friends between his school work. His first introduction to the cinema was at the age of 8 when his mother’s employers took him to see “Shrek”, while he enjoyed the experience, he couldn’t know that his future would revolve around movies.
Having completed his matric in 2013, Buhle enrolled at CPUT to study events management, however, he dropped out 2 years later during the time of the #FeesMustFall protests due to a lack of funds. He was determined to work in the events management field and started volunteering and looking for any work related to his field of study. He got a job at Short&Sweet, a platform that screened short films at popup cinemas, sparking the idea for the Vuma Popup Cinema. “I was part of the crew, learning to set up the sound and projection. While I was working I realised this could also benefit the people in my community.”
While Buhle had a concept in mind, he didn’t have the funds to get it off the ground and buy the necessary equipment. “I knew it would be difficult buying the projectors and sound, because I wasn’t working, so I started by raising funds in the community by offering a bin cleaning service. We went door to door and offered the service for a small fee. We raised funds through that and we were able to buy some equipment.”
Buhle held his first screening in 2017 at a nearby creche, keeping it on a small scale to test if his idea worked. “I organised some snacks and had to borrow a projector from someone. I started very small to see if people would engage with the movies, but I saw that the children in my community also love movies and it’s a great space where they can engage with their friends, so I realised this is a good project that can have a positive impact in my community.”
Because Vuma Pop Up Cinema is a mobile cinema, Buhle can take it anywhere. So far he’s taken it to Alice in the Eastern Cape, as well as kwa Langa, Athlone, Blackheath, and Khayelitha’s Site B, Monwanbisi Park, and Enkanini, with venues ranging from community centres to creches.
Vuma Pop Up Cinema isn’t just a popup movie experience for kids though. Buhle sees it as a safe space for the children of the communities he visits where they can play and engage with each other.
Buhle ensures that the movies he shows are beneficial and not harmful to the children. “The movies we show are entertaining and educational, we don’t show movies that encourage crime or violence, like action movies. Most of our films are local animations from studios like Triggerfish’s ‘Khumba’ and Dipopaai Animation, a studio that does isiZulu and Xhosa animations. And inspiring African documentaries as well. We’re trying to make the children familiar with their history.”
Read the full article on Ikeja.co.za
Photos: Matthew Wareley