A festival celebrating South African arts and culture will begin in Deptford before heading off around the country.

Afrovibes is a series of live theatre, music, dance and visual arts events which will start at The Albany in Deptford and Stratford Circus from October 14 to 18 before heading off on a 17 venue tour.

While it tours every two years, this festival marks 20 years of democracy in South Africa.

Each venue will host a programme of five shows as well as its own pop-up Township Cafe serving food, drinks, late night music, DJs, workshops, poetry readings and more.

The Albany will host two dance shows – Biko’s Quest (October 15 and 16), about life and premature death in police custody of anti-apartheid activist Steven Biko, and Uncles and Angels (October 14), an examination of the manipulation of cultural heritage by people in power.

Skierlik (October 16 and 17) is a drama about a teenager who went on a racially-motivated killing spree and a man’s brave return to the scene of the carnage.

Musical drama The Revivalists (October 17) will see performers from London, Cape Town and Amsterdam ‘sampling’ classic European theatre and reworking them to make statements about identity while The Soil (October 18) is a performance by Soweto’s award-winning, platinum-selling beatbox a cappella trio.

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The Soil: Phindo Ngxanga (left), Buhle Mda, Ntsika Ngxanga.  Photo by Alda Taljaard of Inkhaus Graphic Designs

The Albany’s artistic director Gavin Barlow said: “I think the Afrovibes programme offers something really different; 2014 is a significant year for South Africa’s democracy movement and we’re very proud to be able to mark the anniversary by presenting some of the country’s best new writing and performance art.”

Tickets cost £12 or £10 for concessions. Go to thealbany.org.uk