Macau Grand Prix
The Macau Grand Prix is definitely the biggest yearly event in the territory. It takes place every November on the streets of Macau and is well known for being the only street racing event that incorporates cars and motorcycles. This and other festivals and events make Macau attractive to tourists who wish to explore Chinese culture. Macau is one of two special administrative regions, the other one being Hong Kong. Both territories are popular with tourists, and Macau offers great luxury accommodations in the many 5 star hotels Macau .
One of the highlights of the annual Grand Prix held in Macau is the Formula 3 Grand Prix. This event attracts Formula 3 drivers from around the world as well as some of the nation’s best. One of the reasons for its popularity is the difficult nature of the track. It is known to be one of the most difficult that exists and provides a great challenge to the top drivers. The track consists of fast straights, which end with extremely tight corners with uncompromising crash barriers. There have been many famous drivers in this event, and the list includes Michael Schumacher, Takuma Sato, Riccardo Patrese and more. Many drivers attempt this track early in their career.
The race was originally intended to be a treasure hunt around the city. It began in 1954 for this purpose. Soon, however, it became evident that the track cold host a racing event, though at the time it was assumed it would be amateur. It remained an amateur event until 1966. That year Belgian driver Mauro Bianchi entered with a racecar made by Renault Sport . This was the beginning of professional teams entering the race and marked the transitional period that made the race what it is today. The motorcycle event was added to the race in 1967. In 2008, the Road Sport Challenge was introduced to the race. This is specially suited for popular compact sport cars.
The Social Commentary of the Cape Town, South Africa Biennial
The projects for this years Biennial Festival in Cape Town are being exhibited at various venues throughout the city. In years past, the festival was somewhat of a commercial event, with organizers seeking to create an international art scene. This did serve to bring in artists and spectators from around the world, however at the cost of the local artists and their work being pushed to the wayside. This year, and the economy is still in decline, and in an attempt to rectify the issues of the local art being somewhat ignored, organizers focused on the art of their own country. This is still serving to bring in tourists, many of them staying at the South Africa five star hotels, and giving a boost to the other businesses and the local economy.
One of the events, curated by a young local curator, Nonkululeko Mlangeni, was exhibited at a high school. The woman known as the “Queen of African Pop” was a student at the school in the Langa Township, Brenda Fassie. Langa is the oldest black neighborhood in Cape Town and the location of one of the most fierce resistance during Apartheid. Murals were painted along the school walls celebrating her controversial style and the song she had written during the early 90′s, “Black President”, which was in honor of Nelson Mandela. The turnout at this particular exhibit was impressive and enthusiastic.
Another local curator, Lerato Bereng, staged a traveling show called “Thank You Driver”. Performers from the company Gugulective, performed in taxi cabs while they were driven throughout the city, and from town to town. This was an interactive and audience participatory show, as the performers interacted with the passengers lucky enough to hail one of these cabs. On one of the performance days, gospel singers rode along and would occasionally burst into song, much to the surprise of unknowing passengers.
The exhibit that most attacked the social issues in the country was designed by a journal that is based in Cape Town, Chimurenga. This was an installation piece at the Cape Town library. They created an alternative catalog of the books, using cards with words written on them that were simplified into one word descriptions, such as “Complacency”, “Poverty”, and “Truth”. They also reclassified the books in the History of South Africa section. The spines of the books were covered with paper, two shades of brown, black and white. This was intended to question the censorship of what is written in the history books about the aspects of Apartheid. While this was a socially charged event this year, it was after all, still a festival, and there was celebratory feel as the artists and performers were not just illustrating the world, but attempting to change it for the better.
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