The township of Soweto is famous worldwide for its apartheid era images of riots and poverty. Images coming out of the area these days however are often of fashionable young South African’s partying, as numerous brands are using the township as staging post for reaching a rapidly growing black middle class (nicknamed “black diamonds” by marketers for their increasing spending power).
The Soweto Wine Festival expects over 5,000 visitors and is an essential part of the Western Cape based wine industry’s attempt to reach this new market. They describe their audience as:
“black middle class Sowetan residents (commonly referred to as Black Diamonds) and VIP’s plus ex-Sowetan residents who travel from the suburbs to enjoy these evenings with their friends and family, who reside in Soweto. Saying this, we are experiencing more and more black South Africans that reside all over Gauteng, coming into Soweto to enjoy this groundbreaking festival.”
Another increasingly popular event, targeting a slightly younger but similar audience, is the Soweto Beach Festival. Soweto being several hundred kilometres from the sea is held at Power Park Dam, with 400 tons of beach sand imported for the event. The event, sponsored by a host of drink and lifestyle brands, features performances by some of South Africa’s leading musicians.
Other (heavily sponsored events) in Soweto include a beer festival, a spirits festival and the Tour de Soweto (bike race) amongst others.
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