Returning to the stage: National Arts Festival lifts the curtains

Returning to the stage: National Arts Festival lifts the curtains post-pandemic

After two years, the National Arts Festival has returned with filled venues celebrating South African arts. The pandemic saw the festival postponed for two years, and when organisers announced its return, it was under regulations that capped capacity at 50%.

However, a repeal of COVID-19 restrictions shortly before the festival saw venues filled to capacity, with the celebration of South African arts hailed as a great success.

BACK TO THE BUSINESS OF ART

Festival CEO, Monica Newton, said that while organisers were unsure what to expect after a two-year hiatus, it became evident that art lovers were ready to get back into theatres and galleries.

“The arts community couldn't be more happy to be back on stage with a live audience. Everyone is feeling positive that the arts will thrive again,” said Ms Newton. The sector was hit hard during the pandemic and the festival provided a platform for recovery for artists in the Eastern Cape.

“Our creative industries have felt the worst of the effects of the COVID 19 pandemic and it is with great pleasure that we welcome our patrons back to salute the courage and perseverance of the South African arts community,” festival organisers said.

Eastern Cape Acting Arts and Culture MEC, Siphokazi Mani Lusithi, said the amount of creative talent this province has produced remains unmatched. “I will be the first to admit though that most of this talent leaves the province for greener pastures elsewhere. Our task as the government of the Eastern Cape, working together with various stakeholders, is to nurture and support this creative potential and position the Eastern Cape as truly the creative home of the country.”

The pandemic was a blow to the festival. It not only affected arts creation and performance production, but it had an impact on travel, hospitality and technical services in Makhanda.

The National Arts Festival has long been a highlight on South Africa’s cultural calendar and showcases work across a range of disciplines. This is a festival that encourages range, versatility and innovation. Its home has been in Makhanda in the Eastern Cape since 1974 and for decades the Monument has been a place where people from different walks of life gather to celebrate the arts.

“As the biggest annual celebration of the arts on the African continent, its importance as a space for artists and audiences to come together, engage and create unique cultural experiences cannot be underestimated.

Through the lens that the arts offer, we are better equipped to understand this world, our place in it, find meaning and drive transformation,” the organisers say.

EMBRACING THE NEW NORMAL

The festival may have seen smaller audiences and crowds during the first week, but these grew as the festival got into full swing.

Even though the number of performances was reduced, there was still plenty on offer and it was impossible to catch everything. That being said, an experience of the festival is only measured by the choices one makes to see things. There were many hits, and also many misses.

Among the noteworthy works on the programme was the Marikana Ten Years On Exhibition, which features walkabouts engaging with the miner’s widows, and an extensive programme of talks and discussions.

Another highlight was 2021 Standard Bank Young Artist for Theatre Thando’s Doni’s Ngqawuse [The Death of A Nation]. The new work tells the story of Xhosa prophet Nongqawuse’s fall from grace and stands as a powerful commentary on colonialism.

2021 Standard Bank Visual Artist Buhlebezwe Siwani held three exhibitions inspired by the artist's deep relationship with the natural world. Gavin Krastin, Standard Bank Young Artist for Performance Art, opened his work 12 Labours, which explores the contemporary definitions of the heroic.

Music performances included singer Amanda Black, the Eastern Cape Philharmonic and Cape Town Opera. Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz and Vuma Levin also performed at the National Jazz Festival alongside a host of international jazz musicians. The festival now includes online elements that run alongside the live programme, with around 150 000 viewers watching the festival virtually. A few of the performances were streamed, but there was also work made for the digital domain. •

Sources: www.allafrica.com www.nationalartsfestival.co.za www.dailymaverick.co.za www.iol.co.za www.news24.com www.sabcnews.com