Stilt walkers, traditional African dancers, live musicians and other fascinating characters awaited government VIPs as they made their way to the Monument for the opening ceremony of the National Arts Festival on Wednesday.
Stilt walkers, traditional African dancers, live musicians and other fascinating characters awaited government VIPs as they made their way to the Monument for the opening ceremony of the National Arts Festival on Wednesday.
Minister of Arts and Culture, Paul Mashatile, MEC for Sports Recreation, Arts and Culture, Xoliswa Tom and Makana's new mayor, Zamuxolo Peter, were among the distinguished guests who joined Grahamstown residents, who packed to overflowing the 980-seater Guy Butler Theatre for an evening of entertainment and speeches.
Chairman of the Festival board, Ayanda Mjekula, set the tone for 2011's "11 Days of Amaz!ng", reminding the audience that the iconic event had grown "out of the soil of the Eastern Cape". "The province should be proud that it's the biggest arts festival in South Africa and the third-biggest in the world," Mjekula said.
Mjekula said Grahamstown's National Arts Festival enjoyed relationships with festivals in a dozen other countries, proving that the arts were a universal language. Art and culture, he said, could help build social cohesion and make a difference in the lives of many.
Affirming his department's firm support for the Festival, Minister of Arts and Culture, Paul Mashatile, said through it, people were breaking frontiers and taking steps towards building the nation. "Let us celebrate our diversity," he said. Mayor Peter spoke about the Fingo Festival, saying it complemented, rather than was in competition with the National Arts Festival.
The Fingo Festival is an initiative driven by Xolile Madinda, a social activist and member of the Fingo Revolutionary Movement. Its aim, according to Madinda, is to open a platform for people in the community to showcase their talents in music, dance and drama.
While it's open to anyone, it's intended to cater for township families that struggle to get to Festival offerings in town. Peter said the municipality was passionate about the Fingo Festival project. He also said Makana planned to revive the Dakawa Arts Centre – once a flourishing community project, created by the ANC and the Swedish government in the apartheid era.
The former artistic hub was closed in 2001 after funding dried up, but still kept its doors open to support developing artists.
