The headline of, and an article by a writer in ThisDay implying that this year’s National Arts Festival was a ”snow white” affair, has unleashed heated debates often premised on denial and over-the-top letters to the newspaper, even accusing the writer of hate speech. One letter called for ”action to be taken against” the writer.
Here we have a country where vile acts of racism have been committed against the majority and in which most white people were complicit but are now able to live without any threat of retribution, yet some white folk are demanding revenge against a writer who dares to express an opinion on the overwhelming whiteness of a festival. Quite bizarre!
It’s like a wicked witch who cast her evil spells and has since been forgiven by her victims, now charging a former victim with evil for daring to say that the effects of her spells are still with us. Hopefully the necessary debate about the racial composition of the festival will not dwarf other issues of concern.
Take Grumpy for instance. That would refer to many artists on the fringe who feel that they are subsidising the main festival with the cuts taken from their box office income by the festival. Fringe artists have to compete with main festival shows that — thanks to generous subsidies — are offering tickets at prices below those on the fringe, and in better, more comfortable venues. Every year there is an increase in the number of tickets being sold, except that this does not appear to translate into increased income for fringe artists.
But then there’s Happy. That’s the festival management and committee who are no doubt delighted that donors such as the National Arts Council (NAC), the Eastern Cape government, the SABC and the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund have stepped into the breach left by the private sector to ensure the festival has a life. But now that the festival has bitten deeply into the poisoned apple of public funding, will it become even more politically anaemic and safe as some artists have charged? Particularly with the festival committee (with an increasing number of government functionaries) being sensitive to politicians?
Which brings us to Bashful — those politicians and NAC board members who make the peripheral dinners, media conferences and photo shoots, but who are more retiring when it comes to seeing shows and exhi- bitions and conversing with artists. The festival’s great for propaganda, if one can just avoid the art.
It is time for Sleepy to wake up, and smell the black coffee.
Lynette Marais is an outstanding administrator who has run the festival efficiently for more than a decade. But it is only a matter of time before she retires and political pressure will demand a more demographically representative management team (the current one is overwhelmingly white).
Is it not time to identify new management and to mentor them over the next few years so that the festival has a relatively smooth transition to its inevitable black leadership?
A few years ago the police arrested a number of Dopeys at the festival. While such high-handedness has been absent this year, there are worrying signs of increased crime with at least two murders during the festival period and numerous bags having been stolen from restaurants and venues. Addressing the great social disparities that lead to crime is a huge challenge to ensure the attractiveness of the festival.
Sneezy is a regular visitor at the festival, along with Coughy and Wheezy. Brought on by the wintry Grahamstown weather, they erupt into a cacophony of DIY sound effects at the most inappropriate dramatic moments.
Which brings us to Doc. He probably cannot do much about Sneezy, but having had his first taste of the festival, perhaps Doc Pallo Jordan can have some influence on the rest?