There will be a lot of football in the city come 2010, but that's not all that will be grabbing the attention. There will be art exhibitions and a musical, among other cultural pursuits, as well.

TO add to the excitement of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the City of Johannesburg is organising a number of parallel events to take place during the football tournament.

They will enable Joburg to show off its rich culture and other offerings, according to Christa Venter, the 2010 operations director. "The main events will comprise a theatre production, a visual art fair and a football festival to be held in Alexandra."

The Boys in the Photograph
From 23 May to 8 August 2010, the musical, The Boys in the Photograph will run at the Nelson Mandela Theatre at the Johannesburg Civic Theatre complex. Its theme is football related, and fits in with the past and future of South Africa, according to Venter.

Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton, the musical is set in Belfast, in Northern Ireland, between 1969 and 1972 and concerns a group of young men and women who play for a local youth football team. These young people come of age at the beginning of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and the drama follows their efforts to live their lives against a backdrop of increasing sectarian division and violence.

With a multiracial, 100 percent South African cast and creative team, the musical will be produced by the Civic Theatre and Real Theatre. Bernard Jay, the chief executive of the Civic, is executive producer; Simon James and Claire Pacariz are associate producers.

Lloyd Webber is expected to be in South Africa for all or part of the auditions, which will be held from 25 to 30 May 2009.

Launched by Executive Mayor Amos Masondo on 9 March at the Civic Theatre, already more than 3 500 tickets to the show have been sold - a record for a show that does not open for another 19 months.

"The Boys in the Photograph will have its official opening night at the Nelson Mandela Theatre on Sunday, 30 May 2010 and run until Sunday, 8 August. Four dates have been set aside for the performances to be held exclusively for the City of Johannesburg," Venter says.

Artist of Africa
Starting two weeks before the World Cup, Artist of Africa, a visual art and craft exhibition, will feature the work of artists from all over the continent under one roof.

Artist of Africa will take place at the Museum Africa in Newtown

Artist of Africa will give artists an opportunity to participate in a world-class event and to be part of the World Cup. It will also enable the marketing of Johannesburg as an art capital, Venter says.

To be held at Museum Africa from May to mid-July 2010, the exhibition will be a virtual journey across the continent. Videos of the artists speaking about their lives will also be broadcast on television screens.

The exhibition will include traditional storytelling, music performances, food, and wine tasting. Some heritage films will be shown in the auditorium. Venter says marketing of the exhibition will focus on attracting art lovers and the best artists from the continent.

Football for Hope
Set to run from 3 to 10 July 2010 in Alexandra, during the Football for Hope festival African teams will battle it out at Number 3 Square.

The festival is part of the Football for Hope Movement, a FIFA and Streetfootballworld initiative that aims to increase the impact of football as a tool for peace, and social development and change.

Venter says that in November 2007, a delegation representing the Football for Hope Movement visited Alexandra to assess the viability of staging the festival in the township.

"The delegation focused on key issues like accommodation, venues, facilities and safety and security. In February 2008, FIFA formally announced that the Football for Hope festival would indeed take place in Alexandra during the 2010 World Cup."

She says the World Cup presents a rare and unique opportunity for enhancing Johannesburg's competitiveness and raising awareness of its capability to host the event.

"This will require that the key focus areas and challenges that have been identified be addressed in a focused and co-ordinated manner. The event plans from all stakeholders are therefore key to ensuring a successful 2010."