Paul Edmunds preview OFTHEWEEK Purple is the colour of majesty, madness and celebration. Purple is also the colour of the dye used by the South African Police when they hosed down peaceful anti- apartheid demonstrators in what came to be called Cape Town’s Purple Rain incident of 1987.
To conceive of an arts festival that spans the distance between these two references is a complex task. It has to be a festival that relishes diversity, but that abides in unity. It’s not inappropriate, then, that purple has been chosen as a theme to run through the One City Festival that takes place in Cape Town from September 21 to 25. Arts activist, curator and one of the founder members of the Black Arts Collective, Zayd Minty is in the driving seat this time around. This is fitting, seeing that Minty was one of the brains behind the initial concept that eventually became last year’s One City, Many Cultures Festival. In 1998, former Cape Times editor Ryland Fisher had been planning an expo of sorts at Cape Town’s Sasani Studios that would explore the diverse cultures of our city. Minty suggested he use the budget as venture capital for a larger annual festival, thereby using their media muscle to even greater social good. Fisher took the bait and arts administrator extraordinaire Mike van Graan took the job of director. The Cape Town City Council bought in and the annual One City Festival was born. This year there is a strong element of youth participation and a stronger “black” focus, which blurs community and professional production in an effort to provide support that is not biased in any one area. The festival is no longer focusing exclusively on the CBD itself, but has satellite events in Langa and Bonteheuwel. “The Vodacom In Touch with One City” event takes place on September 25. Visitors and residents will be able to enjoy a trip to Langa to celebrate the opening of the brand new arts and culture centre, Gugas S’Thebe. Shuttle buses will leave from the Grand Parade, taking people on these round trips and also stop at the Bonteheuwel community centre.
“Night Vision”, Cape Town’s regular night out at art galleries, caf’s and shops, will be helped along by Good Hope FM and Red Bull’s party in Long Street on September 22. The Granary in Buitenkant Street is host to the majority of visual art on offer during the festival as well as various performances and the Mail & Guardian lecture series. “Returning the Gaze” called for proposals that have been realised as billboards, T- shirts and postcards. The works offer individuals’ takes on race and identity in the city. “The Kensington and Khayelitsha Living History Projects” involved pupils from these two areas working together on researching numerous aspects of their various communities. This is presented as an exhibition, guided tours of which will be given by a selection of the pupils. There is no shortage of music to be heard, with performances happening at the Granary, on the Grand Parade, in the City Hall and at the Condom Concert in Bonteheuwel. International visitors include Angelique Kidjo and Cheikh Lo, while you can catch performances from an eclectic selection of local musos including Gramadoelas, Bongo Maffin, ELX, the prodigious 4Feet Deep and Moodphase 5ive. Also not to be missed is Swaraj, an Asian club collective playing a fusion of “Asian breakbeats and tablatronica”.
Multimedia performance group The Odd Enjinears, together with music and other community groups, have put together a Street Carnival on Saturday 23. Other dramatic performances include work by the Khayelitsha Cultural Group and the Heel Arts Collective, and a performance of The Hatred of Music by contemporary ballet company Philippe Saire from Switzerland. The Michael Williams-directed performance of Wagner’s opera Tannh”user opens at the Nico as well. The festival sets out to be more than just a mix of art in a mix of spaces, but tries to root itself in these spaces and draw on their particular resources. It aligns itself with the local city council’s strategic objectives of cultural entrepeneurial growth, economic development and cultural tourism, while at the same time venturing the more radical step of taking art to people and changing the way people approach such an experience. Perhaps just such a combination of responsibility and risk-taking, memory and idealism, will be the formula to put this city and this festival securely on the map. Cape Town’s One City Festival takes place at various venues from September 21 to 25. For details visit www.onecity.co.za or call Tel: (021) 488E4025