Stamps may be the subject, but it's foot-stomping rhythms that will echo through the Monument foyer at the free Sundowner Concert on Sunday, as highlights from the "Rhythms of the Eastern Cape" music and dance showcase launch a new series of postage stamps.
Stamps may be the subject, but it's foot-stomping rhythms that will echo through the Monument foyer at the free Sundowner Concert on Sunday, as highlights from the "Rhythms of the Eastern Cape" music and dance showcase launch a new series of postage stamps.
The South African Post Office which, together with the provincial department of arts and culture, is backing daily performances of traditional music and dance over the coming week, is also using the Festival platform to launch its range of 10 stamps designed by South African artist Hein Botha.
They depict less-known African instruments, including the dipela, drums, horns, flute and ramkie, At Sunday's Sundowner Concert, Vuyo Mahlati, Chairperson of the Post Office Board, will officially launch the seals by handing over framed stamps to dignitaries.
The South African Post office initiative was "an attempt to boost awareness about a rich treasure chest of African culture”, Festival Director Ismail Mahomed wrote in an e-mail to Grocott's Mail. Also in an e-mailed response, Cheryl Kemp, head of the Post Office's Philatelic Services, told Grocott's: "We aim to celebrate the vibrant culture and music of Africa. "The musical instruments were used to produce [musical art]and, being handmade, they are artworks themselves.
"In addition, the Post Office is a custodian of African history and culture. We use stamps to draw attention to our cultural riches. It is therefore our duty as well to keep culture alive."
Stamps were regarded as the world's smallest ambassadors and, in South Africa, they were made to mirror vital moments of our country's history, Kemp said. "We want the world to understand what powerful messengers stamps can be. In this case, of musical instruments that have shaped African culture through the ages."
A special-edition canceller stamp, marked with the National Arts Festival logo, has been issued and Festival guests can purchase exclusively printed post cards, titled Faces of the Festival, to be stamped with the canceller emblem at the daily music and dance performances.
A canceller is a mark or perforation that indicates that a postage stamp may not be used again. A selection of stamps displayed at the previous year's International Stamp Show will be on show throughout the week at the Albany Museum. The Post Office has sponsored the hour-long performances of the "Rhythms of the Eastern Cape" showcase.
