Craig Bishop: National Festival of the Arts
The astonishing art of two-tone singing is practised by just three cultures: Tibetans, Mongolians and by a small group of Xhosa-speakers in the Lady Frere district of the Eastern Cape.
Lady Frere’s Ngqoko Choir practises a singing art so special that it has been recorded and studied by leading international musicologists. The group has toured Geneva, Berlin and London to much acclaim.
At last year’s Standard Bank National Festival of the Arts in Grahamstown, the choir gave a lecture on “overtone” singing which reduced their audience to tears. The trouble is, there were fewer than 10 people in the room to share the experience.
The festival’s main programme in 1997 was strongly rooted in South African culture, packed with homegrown talent and lauded as the most representative yet assembled. But why did two-tone singing flop in its own back yard, while Stephen Berkoff’s One Man was sold out before the first weekend?
Armed only with a large aluminium urn and a plastic table, Phila Ntlumbini sold coffee and tea to thirsty visitors at last year’s festival. With no training or support, Phila found the experience somewhat bewildering, but was delighted to earn R50 a day.
Why was Phila one of just a handful of township residents to set up a stall? The thundering wheels of this year’s caravan of chaos will soon descend on Grahamstown, bringing a projected R25-million into the city’s coffers, representing a staggering 10% o f the local economy. However, only 3%of black Grahamstonians expected to earn R1 000 or more.
Wits University arts and culture programme manager Paola Beck says the trickle-down effect does not work: “Yes, the people in the town do benefit for the time the festival is on, but beyond this there are no developmental leaps – either economically or c ulturally.”
Locals are beginning to take these criticisms seriously. Late last year citizens from both sides of the Matyana River got down to business by registering their city as a Section 21 company. Their aim is to develop Grahamstown Incorporated into Africa’s f estival capital, ahead of next year’s 25th anniversary of the arts festival. Grahamstown Inc founding director Dave Rodgerson says this is probabl y the “best chance Grahamstown has ever had” to create meaningful development through local initiatives.
“We’ve made use of the fact that Grahamstown already has the quasi-reputation of being Africa’s festival capital, so now it is all about marketing that internationally.”
Festival director Lynette Marais says this is the first time citizens have taken ownership of the festival and surrounding events. And Grahamstown Foundation corporate affairs manager Kholiwe Sunners – who grew up east of the city’s “big divide” – says projects like the Studio, a township venue that showcases local talent, have brought pride and confidence to townships.
Chair of Grahamstown’s Central Forum for Arts and Culture Lennox Faba says the Grahamstown Foundation’s assistance with projects like the Studio “have made all the difference in the townships”.
“I observe changes in township feelings to the festival. It used to be seen as a white event, but now we see popular artists like Vincent Mantsoe coming to town. The problem is that very little is being done to develop our community to get us on to the b igger stages. There is so much talent right here in Grahamstown.”
Standard Bank currently sponsors a two-year arts development programme for trainees from a disadvantaged background. The bank also funds dance and art workshops during the festival and sponsors R30 000 worth of free tickets.
Wits’s Beck says the festival could be crucial to deputy president Thabo Mbeki’s vision of an African renaissance, and festival committee chair Alan Crump is confident the programme is “strongly rooted in our own culture”.
Young Artist Award winner for fine art Nhlanhla Xaba’s festival portfolio focuses on fertility in Evocations of the Child. Drama winner Aubrey Sekhabi presents Not with my Gun and music winner Bongani Ndodana will conduct Uhambo, based on Guy Butler’s po em, Pilgrimage to Dias Cross.