Cue Online (Grahamstown)
Tammy Sutherns
3 July 2009
The 2009 National Arts Festival is expected to provide a gateway to the 2010 Soccer World Cup, to be hosted by South Africa, which has placed international focus on the country.
According to Festival Director Ismail Mahomed, it boasts a "significant jump from previous years" in international appearances, featuring 27 directors and a range of performances and partnerships from outside South Africa's borders.
Mahomed says it's "about dialogue; the local in the global context". With South Africa being at the centre of international focus, it allows residents to engage with the worldwide community and "the arts are not excluded from this".
The Festival provides a platform and a space for interaction – and, he adds, because South Africa has such a rich and diverse culture, the advent of social media "gives it wings".
The idea to start building international relations and for artists "to begin to see the world as their market" began with three workshops focusing on networks on the African continent.
The success of these led to seven further workshops dealing with global interaction and building relations, which will take place at the Festival. Other international partnerships and productions are evident throughout the Festival programme.
Going beyond
Writing "Beyond the Fringe" allows South African writers a chance to take part in international literary exchange.
The project is facilitated by the Representation of Flanders and is a partnership between the National Arts Festival and the Belgian-based Possa Porta Festival and the Vlaams-Nederlands Huis DeBuren. Belgian author Jeff Aerts will also be present to take part in readings and conversations.
In terms of film, Cine-mazing and First Light Movies – which helps young people in the UK between the ages of five and 19 to create short digital films – will be showcasing these mini-movies over the next 10 days.
On the Main programme, Mâ Ravan', a dance item inspired by the ravanne, a large drum used to call ancestors that is found in the Indian Ocean islands, is a multidisciplined French theatre production supported by the French Institute of South Africa (IFAS) and the French Embassy in South Africa.
Manipuri Classical Dance, which features one of the classical Indian dance styles, is facilitated by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCP).
Theatre productions such as First Love from Ireland and Something Dark from the United Kingdom will also showcase, along with a range of films from the Netherlands, Ireland, Cuba, the USA, the UK, the Philippines, Germany, Canada, Spain, Italy, India, France and Romania.
Music productions enable musicians from all over the world to team up, such as Guro Gravem Johnsen, the assistant professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music, and Cape Town singer Melanie Scholtz in Vocal Celebration.
For Mahomed, it's all about conversation. "We want South African artists to have an international impact and influence," he said.
This year, he added, the National Arts Festival has a specific focus on the international directors.
"We want the arts festival to be a platform for exchange; it's reciprocal."
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 Cue Online. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
