The National Arts Festival has opened amid
a joyful Eastern Cape celebration at Grahamstown’s Festival hub, The Monument,
at an event that also noted the centenary years of home-born legends Nelson
Mandela and Albertina Sisulu.
Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa
reminded Festival-goers that the National Arts Festival remained a preserve of
free expression: “It is where, as South Africans, we can be comfortable
exploring who we are and being bold about what we stand for. It is where our
artists speak truth to power and where we give meaning to our constitutional
principles of free speech and free expression.”
Amid the celebrations, the Eastern Cape
Premier, Phumalo Masualle extended his hospitality. “Welcome once again to our
magnificent Province, the Home of Legends! It is my fervent belief that the
Eastern Cape is home to South Africa’s warmest and most engaging people, and I
join with each and every resident of our Province in welcoming you to this
jewel in our artistic crown: the 44th National Arts Festival."
The Eastern Cape’s MEC for Sport,
Recreation, Arts and Culture, Bulelwa Tunyiswa, commented that it was a
significant year for the Province and the Festival. “This year’s National Arts
Festival is one in which an emphasis is being placed on giving a voice to the
voiceless in our society, something that is timeous and vital in our emerging
democracy. At the same time, we recall and commemorate the legacy and values of
two giants from our Province – Nelson Mandela and Albertina Sisulu, both of
whom would have commemorated their 100th birthdays this year.”
National Arts Festival Deputy Chair Elinor
Sisulu gave thanks to the Office of the Eastern Cape Premier and Department of
Sports Recreation Arts and Culture for “their recognition of the work that we
do and for their support of the Festival”.
The annual gathering of the arts is now in
its 44th year and has shaken things up this year with the addition of a new
digital arts festival Creativate and a revamped Village Green, which has moved
to the grounds of Victoria Girls’ High School.
Speaking on the eve of the Festival,
National Arts Festival CEO Tony Lankester said that the 2018 Festival was
offering more entertainment than ever before. “The new Standard Bank Village
Green will boast free live music, a beer tent and food vendors and we have some
exceptional local and international buskers who will perform show-stopping
acts. There are premier shows, international acts – such as singer Suzanne Vega
– and plenty of comedy, music, film as well as talks and workshops to get
involved in.”
The National Arts Festival programme is
packed with dance, music, theatre, performance art, visual art and more.
Presenting a curated Main Programme and an unsolicited and uncurated Fringe,
the National Arts Festival is also a magnet for jazz lovers.
Standard Bank, a long-standing sponsor of
the National Arts Festival, will showcase a programme of stellar jazz through
the Standard Bank Jazz Festival and Youth Jazz Festival. Commenting on this
year’s programme the Head of Brand Sponsorship and Events for Standard Bank
Jenny Pheiffer said: “This year’s programme is extraordinary and un-missable
with world-class young musicians who are taking their inspiration from the
legacies of the forebears to recreate, revive and remix great South African
works for a youthful generation of audiences.”
The Festival’s Executive Producer Ashraf
Johaardien urged Festival-goers to try new shows and see something different.
“The tickets range from R30 to R120 so it’s possible to see plenty and
experiment a little, that is what an arts festival is all about. Take yourself
on an adventure.”
The city of Grahamstown is ready to welcome
the annual influx of visitors and performers after a major drive from
citizen-led organisation Makana Revive, which has seen many improvements being
carried out.
The National Arts Festival contributes 94.4
million to the economy of Grahamstown and R377.15 million to the economy of the
Eastern Cape. On average visitors to the Festival stay for six days. (source: The Social, Cultural and Economic Impact of
the National Arts Festival, 2016 - by Snowball & Antrobus).
The programme for the 2018 National Arts
Festival, taking place in Grahamstown from June 28 to July 8, 2018, can be found on the festival's website.
To
link direct to the NAF site click on the large banner that runs across the top
of this blog or visit https://www.nationalartsfestival.co.za
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