Starting 2023 After a hectic December

December is the busiest month of the year. Most of us artists spent the month traveling going to gigs and entertaining people.

As the new year begins most of us use this time to reflect on the past year. Some would do this by taking time off to spend with their loved ones and other use this time to go on holiday for a week or two and get a bit of time to relax and plan ahead

It is a time for most of us to draw up our plans and mark dates on the calendar “important” so that we know exactly what to do when the time to relaxation comes to an end.

The year plan consists of what the artist intents to achieve through out the year. Such activities are music video shoot, new album release dates, recordings, music sales and performances and also target dates for all of this.

This is also very important as it works as a guide on what to do and when to do it.

Though this may differ from person to person because we all have different goals and targets that we want to meet.

However, having a year plan and vision board is very important and the good thing about this is that you can always change or move your plans or target if anything unexpected pop up. You are able to move around your schedule easily because you would have noted the importance dates on your to do list.

This is now the part where we put our plan to action, this is where the fun begins because now we are refreshed and inspired and ready to put in the work and starting to tick of the calendar.

February is around the corner so most of us are using this time to prepare for the love month it could be by recording new records and upcoming gigs.

And then it is Easter and suddenly winter break for the schools and then we look at heritage day and then we need to look at Christmas.

The calendar of an artist is always full. and unless it is all planned, we may have double-bookings - or worse - no bookings!

The message that Freedom Park sends to every South African is this: look at where we come from, look what we have lived through – if we can do that and survive then our future must hold infinite possibilities. Let Freedom Park open your mind to these possibilities.

Everything at Freedom Park is representative of our history, heritage, culture, spirituality and indigenous knowledge. Even the 360° view of the capital city from Salvokop Hill symbolises a link between the past, present and future. From here you can see the Voortrekker Monument – a reflection of the past; the Union Buildings – our current governance; and

UNISA’s Centre of Knowledge – engendering a sense of knowledge and development for the future.

Freedom Park a one-stop heritage destination because we narrate the history, heritage, culture, spirituality and indigenous knowledge systems of our nation.

Freedom Park honours those who took a stand and sacrificed for a better South Africa. We want our youth to know that there is a place that recognises such heroes and heroines. Our youth’s contributions mattered so much in the history of our nation. It is, however, time for today’s youth to take their lead from those who have gone before and take a stand to build this nation even further.”

We have a fully-equipped education unit that arranges activities that bring together youth from diverse backgrounds to talk about culture and heritage.

We also have specific programmes for basic and tertiary education and a special Youth out of School programme that teaches young people about where they come from and assists them to develop a sense of pride in their own identity. We teach young people about tolerance and acceptance, and to understand and respect each other. We believe that racism and intolerance often result from ignorance and misconceptions about who you are.’

Freedom Park also focuses on school tours but is aware that accessibility becomes an acute challenge; hence the outreach programmes that aim to take Freedom Park to the people. We have Our visiting hours are 08:00 – 16:30, Monday through to Sunday. We offer scheduled guided tours 09:00, 12:00 and 15:00

Chartered Public Relations Practioner (CPRP) Marketing and Communications Officer