Maria McCloy
YOU have to walk for only 10 minutes to get to a part of Grahamstown where it seems that the festival circus has not hit town – no flashing lights and excitement; no posters; no shows. For too long most of Grahamstown – the people who live in the townships – have not had much active involvement in the festival. It is as split between black and white, rich and poor, as any town.
And as in any small town, not very much notice is taken of development of arts. What makes Grahamstown different is that this is the sleepy, poverty-stricken town that for 10 days becomes the centre of arts and culture in South Africa.
In 1994 The Studio was created in a recreation centre on the edge of the town as a “development venue”, for people who wouldn’t normally get the chance to showcase their talents on the main programme because of financial difficulty. Finally this year, Grahamstown’s talent got a chance other than busking – The Studio was their venue.
It’s not like it was some charity event. The groups on show are definitely talented and showed potential: like the boys of the Nyaluza (high school) Drama Group, who performed This is What We Were Told, a witty and energetic play commenting on the lack of delivery and day-to-day G’Town and South African life. Or the President’s Award- winning Gumboots Dancers, who fused their magnificent dancing skills into a play.
The state of arts development in Grahamstown is illustrated by Brett Bailey’s iMumbo Jumbo. It was groundbreaking because most of the cast of 60 was from Grahamstown townships.
But that he didn’t use Grahamstonians in the lead roles is telling – the role of Gcaleka was played by two Cape Town actors who got their grounding and skills in community theatre projects there. That kind of structure is not established in Grahamstown.
Silulame Lwana, who is from Grahamstown and played in iMumbo Jumbo – and last year’s Zombie -believes there should be a local community theatre project where groups can develop their ideas and skills relevant to theatre. So who should be responsible?
He thinks the department of arts and culture and the festival’s sponsors, Standard Bank, have a definite role to play. Nyaluza director Steader Nkwinti would like drama to be a set subject in Grahamstown schools.
The festival workshops in painting, drama and dance for township children continued this year. One of the co-ordinators said it was the same kids that came this year as last year to get a rare yearly dose of fun and skills. All those doing the workshops wanted to see a structure and resources left behind to ensure continuity and development between festivals.
There were initiatives this past year with workshops on Saturday afternoons. But the Grahamstown Foundation’s Janet Buckland says they were sporadic and not well-attended.
The workshops have been run by full-time Rhodes drama students and people like Buckland and the festival committee’s Likhaya Ngandi. All agree there is need for permanent teachers and co-ordinators, because the people in charge currently have full-time jobs.
Ngandi says Standard Bank has already cottoned on to these ideas, providing the money to pay the people who were doing the workshops so far. But he also sees a role for other organisations connected with the festival.
The Performance Initiative insisted on presenting their magical and innovative A1’s SweetPham Pham in a township venue, the BB Zondani hall. Although the venue is only 15 minutes from town, attendances were not good. Venter speculated about how people’s negative stereotypes of townships affect attendance.
At the second township venue, Nombulelo Hall, it also looked pretty much like life was carrying on as normal.
The festival director, Lynette Marais, says they have been encouraged by the numbers at township venues this year, and continue to see this as important. Yet one source told of a person who was told not to use township halls because the foundation had pretty much given up on success for these venues.
But I wondered how township venues are supposed to succeed if they exist in isolation from the rest of the festival.
There are none of the vibes or posters or lights or vendors, and these halls are not part of the route of official festival transport.
“I doubt the festival’s commitment to making township venues work,” says the Performance Initiative’s Francois Venter.
One night the leading actor Andrew Buckland was selling tickets for A-1 because BB Zondani hall had not been provided with a cashier. Neither was there a technician and the venue wasn’t signposted either.
Free tickets are not a solution. A number were handed out but the crowds weren’t interested.
Venter thinks that tickets must be paid for, but prices need to be lowered (some cost up to R60) creating a culture of people seeing theatre as something worth paying for – in the same way that Grahamstonians are willing to pay for soccer, music events and beauty contests.