If you were too late to get tickets for a sold-out show at this year’s National Arts Festival, keep your mouse finger at the ready as hundreds of tickets are expected to become available in the next few days. With the scrapping of restrictions on the size of gatherings, along with the other Covid regulations, 100% occupation of venues is now allowed.
At the event’s media launch in the Makana Council Chamber on Thursday, board member Siphiwo Mahala spoke about the excitement of meeting on 30 March to plan the first physical face to face Festival in three years.
The event was planned with Covid-19 regulations allowing 50% capacity audiences. Wednesday’s signing of the repeal of regulations 16a, b and c was welcome, but meant making new plans again, quickly.
“For the third time, the event must pivot,” Mahala said.
At short notice, the Covid-19 lockdown forced the 2020 event online – a move Mahala said had allowed the organisation to reconceptualise its reach beyond a physical audience. In 2021 a hybrid event – online and live – was planned. But the pandemic continued and once again, it was online.
The 48th edition of the National Arts Festival sees 250 productions, exhibitions, workshops and talks taking place in 46 venues across the city. The Village Green, at Victoria Girls High School, is back, along with a weekend market on Church Square and funfair at Fiddlers Green.
Mahala emphasised the value of the Festival’s partnerships with stakeholders and sponsors.
Acting MEC for Arts and Culture Siphokazi Mani-Lusithi noted the impact of the pandemic on artists and said the Festival offered an important opportunity for artists and traders. In their media invitation, the Department of Sport Recreation Arts and Culture said 2022 marked the 20th year of the Eastern Cape Government supporting the Festival.
The government had supported the National Arts Festival to the tune of more than R13 million, of which R2 million was ringfenced for the Eastern Cape Showcase.
“The Eastern Cape government remains committed to growing the Festival as an inclusive platform,” said Mani-Lusithi.
Makana Mayor Yandiswa Vara said the municipality had convened the multi-stakeholder Festival joint operations committee (JOC) ahead of the event, and it continued to meet daily. She said a crew from the roads and stormwater section had been deployed to attend to infrastructure.
Parliament Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and Sarah Baartman Mayor Deon de Vos were among the dignitaries at the media launch.
The event was preceded by a Security Cluster parade in Church Square. Officers from Hi-Tec Security and members of the Makhanda Community Policing Forum joined the bulk of the 110 South African Police Service members deployed from six districts in the province at attention in front of the City Hall. The additional SAPS members will be in Makhanda until 4 July.
The show of readiness included addresses by Sarah Baartman District Commissioner, Brigadier Johan Lebok, Grahamstown Station Commander Colonel Mbulelo Pika, and Makhanda Community Policing Forum chairperson Andrew Kirk.
“We are going to paint Makhanda blue,” SAPS spokesperson Warrant Officer Majola Nkohli later told Talk of the Town. He said there were several operations planned for the Festival period.
“We will clean the streets of illicit drugs, and we will keep people and property secure.”
There would be foot patrols in areas where Festival activities were taking place, Nkohli said.
The live National Arts Festival takes place in Makhanda from 23 June – 3 July.
National Arts Festival CEO, Monica Newton, said, “If enthusiasm is a yardstick, this is going to be a great Festival… We’re optimistic, but measuring our expectations, in these tough economic times.
“It’s very encouraging to see that the accommodation establishments across town are reporting brisk bookings and there is definitely activity at the box office, so it’s apparent that the hunger for a live, immersive experience is calling Festival-goers back.”
The Festival has, in previous years, brought around R90 million into the Eastern Cape city.
Just over R18 million’s worth of road replacement and resurfacing work started in Makhanda in 2021, with a focus on the city centre and Joza.
Artists have also joined in to improve the city for visitors and residents. 2021 Standard Bank Young Artist for Performance Art, Gavin Krastin, has already begun performing his National Arts Festival piece, 12 Labours, which swaps the mythological masculine hero of war for modern heroes who commit acts of service in their communities. A group of brightly-coloured gnomes have been spotted planting verges and painting bus stops on weekends in the City.
Load-shedding has been factored into the logistics, with some of the Festival’s venues equipped with generators.
“Venues without generators will work with emergency lighting where possible or the shows will be rescheduled,” the Festival said in an earlier media statement. Ticket holders would be refunded if a show had to be cancelled because of loadshedding.
