Should feature Bay works

LAST year at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, the Mandela Bay region was privileged for the first time to be part of the main programme through the Port Elizabeth Opera House led by general manager Monde Ngonyama.

It was more overwhelming when we had an opportunity to present six theatre productions to this high standard platform of the performing arts industry.

I'm so grateful to have been part of that group of six plays that were presented last year, with one of them winning a Standard Bank Ovation Award, which is awarded for outstanding creative works. This year again our talent will be showcased in the main programme of the festival, but with more, different genres of arts.

This year Mandela Bay through the Port Elizabeth Opera House will present two theatre productions, Ghost of Glenmore and Andiyondoda: Not a Man Enough. This is accompanied by jazz with Asanda Mqiki, Poetry Village of the Forgotten and a jazz tribute to Victor Ntoni.

This is a sign that the Eastern Cape talent is occupying the international event that is its host. But all this excitement and joy I was disturbed by what I discovered when browsing the festival's programme.

I was shocked to see one of our theatre institutions, the Athenaeum, formerly known as the Ford Little Theatre and which on April 18 and 19 hosted five local theatre productions by only assisting with the performance space, in partnership with Mandela Bay Development Agency and Numbcity production has five theatre productions from outside Mandela Bay.

There are many good productions and theatre makers from the Bay who would like to present their works in Grahamstown, even on the fringe programme.

Just give their works an opportunity of an international stage.

I think steps should be taken against this matter because the money is meant to develop us, the artists of Mandela Bay, not artists from Cape Town and Joburg.

To all the artists who are going to present works at the National Arts Festival, break a leg and make your mark so the focus can be on the Bay. To all those who are going to be watchers, bystanders and collectors of artworks, please support our works for the sake of our regional economic growth.

Mongezi Ncwadi, cultural activist, New Brighton, Port Elizabeth