There’s nothing like a tongue-in-cheek quip to get the National Arts Festival into full swing – and that’s exactly how chief executive Tony Lankester managed to preempt the obvious question about Grahamstown’s tatty roads when he issued a reminder yesterday that it is “not a festival of potholes”.
Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture MEC Bulelwa Tunyiswa used the same opportunity at a media briefing to explain how the province had been partnering with the Makana Municipality and civic organisations to ensure the City of Saints is up to scratch when it comes to the critical infrastructure, electricity, water, roads and sanitation problems it has been suffering.
Tunyiswa said a number of initiatives were in play to address these challenges.
“This is our home 365 days a year, not just for the 11 days of the festival,” she said.
“So whatever we do needs to have a lasting impact for our people beyond the period the spotlight falls on our town.”
But if it was all a bit serious inside City Hall as politicians and organisers allayed fears, Grahamstown was having none of it.Sunshine managed to slip through overcast skies – an antidote to the wind-chill factor – and the festival buzz was mounting as artists, crafters, traders, crews and even those bringing the booze began descending on the city for the 44th edition of South Africa’s celebration of all things arty.From poster pasting at The Monument and last-minute technical rehearsals, to setting up rigging in High Street for an influx of stall-holders, things had moved into top gear by late afternoon for the staging of some 2,400 performances which begin today.
Later, at the official opening ceremony where a number of groups performed, Eastern Cape premier Phumalo Masualle extended his hospitality.
“This, the flagship of the Eastern Cape arts and culture showcase, has become an institution of the performing, creative and visual arts space – not only in our country, but the world over,” he said.
Earlier, Tunyiswa explained details of the “Creative City” project which aims to allow Grahamstown to extend its arts reach throughout the year.
These include funding a teaching post at Ntsika Secondary School so pupils can study visual art for the first time, a “cinema under the stars”, an annual massed choir event, the development of young performers through professional community theatre companies, and the training of young technicians and sound engineers.
She drew attention to the innovations at this year’s festival – “the launch of the Creativate Digital Arts Festival, the moving of the Village Green to a new home closer to the majority of people of Makana, and the introduction of a community boxing tournament alongside the Premier’s Cup Football tournament”.
Lankester said Grahamstown could not guarantee that there would be no power outages. However, emergency plans were in place.