Durban Tourism, Black Coffee launch vignette experience to promote the city as a premier tourist attraction
|Published
DURBAN - EThekwini Municipality unveiled the DJ Black Coffee vignette at a launch held at Max's Lifestyle restaurant in Umlazi on Wednesday.
The tourism initiative is a partnership between Durban Tourism and Nkosinathi Maphumulo, popularly known as Black Coffee, that has taken a year to complete.
The vignette is a series of videos featuring Black Coffee visiting places across Durban which captures what the city has to offer as a tourist destination.
Speaking at the launch, Phillip Sithole, the city's deputy manager for economic development said Black Coffee donated his time to the initiative free of charge.
“We have paid him nothing to do this work. It's part of his contribution to his city and to his province, to the people of South Africa. More especially to people who are coming from the townships,” Sithole said.
He said a decision was made by the city to work with artists who identify with it and who were born in townships or rural areas to tell an authentic story.
One of the artists chosen to be in the videos was Black Coffee said Sithole, adding that he was a local success story who had become a global icon.
He said the videos that Black Coffee participated in were shot at various establishments in town and other parts of of the city.
“These vignettes are going to be played, globally, on various TV channels and they are also going to be played in various music shows where Black Coffee will be performing.”
Sithole said using an international artist like Black Coffee for this initiative would also encourage other international artists to come and perform in Durban as well as attract tourists.
Black Coffee said being part of this initiative was not a hard decision for him because Durban was his hometown.
“I’m very passionate about Durban. I’m very passionate about Umlazi. I believe everything I am today truly comes from growing up here and all the lessons I learned not just from home but from the streets,” he said.
He said he would like the world to know about Durban.
“I would like the world to know about our people, how warm we are, how we dance and also how we also want to be part of the world. So I’m here today basically donating time to promote my city and for all the people that are following me around the world to know that the place to be is the city of Durban, there’s so much to offer.”
THE MERCURY