(A
scene from “The-Gruffalo”. Pic by Nardus-Engelbrecht)
Grahamstown is being draped in red, white
and blue as it prepares to welcome thousands of visitors to this year’s
National Arts Festival, which runs from June 29 to July 9.
This is the 43rd instalment of the annual
event, billed as Africa’s biggest and boldest celebration of the arts.
Showcasing more than 700 shows, the programme features theatre, dance, music,
visual and performance arts, film, illusion, cabaret and more. This year’s
comedy is particularly strong, with the biggest names in South African comedy
performing alongside visiting talents such as UK comedians Stephen K Amos and
Louise Reay.
“We are ready! Put down what you are doing
and come to the National Arts Festival,” says National Arts Festival CEO Tony
Lankester. “In times like these the need to reflect, revitalize, engage and
reimagine is critical. It will all unfold at the Festival this year.”
Last year, an audience survey showed that
99% of Festival goers would recommend the experience to others. “So take it
from them, not me – it’s 11 days of amazing,” says Lankester.
Jazz will be celebrated with a sensational
programme of South African greats – including Judith Sephuma, Afrika Mkhize and
Zenzi Makeba Lee, Kyle Shephard, and Benjamin Jephta –collaborating with
international legends such as Andy Narell (USA) and the James Morrison Quartet
(Australia) for the 20th anniversary edition of the Standard Bank Jazz
Festival.
Families will be happily entertained with a
full programme of fun that includes children: Festival favourites include Rat Race, James And The Giant Peach and Granny Susan Incredible. After
successful runs in Cape Town and Johannesburg, Grahamstown’s production of The Gruffalo is set to run for the full
11 days of the Festival. Free performances of When Lion Had Wings and other child-friendly activities are events
to look forward to. Parents can enrol their children (ages 4-13) into the
Children’s Arts Festival, hosted by St Andrew’s Prep school.
Think!Fest, a series of lectures, workshops
and seminars, will include a spotlight on children to mark the 100th
anniversary of Child Welfare in Grahamstown. The daily programme draws in a mix
of high emotion and cerebral ruminations with speakers and audiences unpacking
topical issues such as fake news (with Verashni Pillay), climate change, the
“lost art of listening”, land acquisition and redistribution as well as focus
on collaboration and growing the arts industry. In a jam-packed programme,
there’s something to meet every interest, including the launch of the latest
Short, Sharp Stories collection Trade Secrets.
Dr Pemmy Majodina, the Eastern Cape MEC for
Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, says of the National Arts Festival: “It is
an event we guard and value. And it has a role beyond what happens on its
stages. It is a cornerstone of our province’s economy, contributing R
377-million annually to our GDP. That translates into jobs, tourist spend,
visitors buying the work of our crafters … A myriad activities that help our
people enhance their lives. It is an example of how the arts can play a
meaningful role in the reconstruction of our economy and country.”
Research* commissioned by the National Arts
Festival and South African Cultural Observatory revealed that the global
attendance (the number of times performances and exhibitions were seen) at the 2016
National Arts Festival was 225,634 and that the average number of shows seen by
a visitor was 10 (over and above free performances). Visitors stayed at the
Festival for an average of six days.
(*The Social Cultural and Economic Impact
of the 2016 National Arts Festival by J. Snowball and G. Antrobus.)
The National Arts Festival is grateful to:
the Department of Arts and Culture, Eastern Cape Department of Sport,
Recreation, Arts and Culture and the Office of the Premier, and Standard Bank of
South Africa. Media partners include MNET and City Press.
(To
link direct to the NAF site click on the large banner that runs across the top
of this blog
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