The new National Heritage Council is launched by the Department of Arts and Culture with a Golf Day. A small group of musicians is appointed — without the slightest genuflection towards transparency — by the Office of the Presidency to help organise part of the 10-years-of democracy celebrations. As their contribution towards these celebrations, publicly funded theatres are cooperating in supporting the revival of, and a national tour by, Mbongeni Ngema’s Sarafina!
The doors of culture may be open to all, but the fine print of today’s practise of the Freedom Charter states that the politically connected elite shall have first call on the stages.
Last year organisations representing artists wrote to the Department of Arts and Culture to query how the funds allocated to this year’s celebrations would be spent.
These organisations suggested that at least some of the funds should be available for arts companies, artists and cultural institutions to bid for, with the best proposals winning funds to undertake their celebratory projects. A pretty simple proposal. Inclusive. Transparent. Democratising access to these funds. And allowing for a range of celebratory projects. But, of course, as has now become par for the course (golfing pun intended), there has been no response from the department. And now it is reported that time constraints prevented a tender process. Sorry folks, we’ve only had 10 years to plan these celebrations.
Sarafina II cost taxpayers at least R14-million as a pre-beetroot, Aids-prevention strategy. Now Sarafina! will cost taxpayers a few million more because somewhere, some faceless bureaucrats have decided that this musical is the best way of celebrating 10 years of democracy through the arts. Perhaps they are right. Ten years of no consultation. Ten years of wastefulness of limited public resources. Ten years of cronyism.
Many of the basic principles of a democratic arts and culture policy as articulated by the arts and culture community in the Arts and Culture Task Group Report of 1995, such as access, equity, arm’s length, transparency, accountability, participation and diversity lie bloodied and broken, having been systematically abused by those who were supposed to protect them.
At a recent Cape Town festival public forum, Dizu Plaatjies of Amapondo fame spoke of the lack of recognition that (despite 25 years of involvement in the industry) he has in his own country, bemoaning the fact that he is more celebrated abroad than he is at home. Tshamano Sebe, an actor, spoke about how little things have changed for artists over the past number of years, despite their contribution in the struggle against apartheid. A representative of the Musicians Union of South Africa, Philip Dlabantu, commented on the ongoing exploitation and lack of protection of musicians. Clearly, they haven’t read the fine print.
The people shall share in the country’s wealth, but those whose recent heritage now includes golf and German sedans shall have first preference to the trough of public funds.
All national groups shall have equal rights, but it does help to have surnames like Ngema, Semenya, Gwangwa and Khumalo to be selected to organise the 10th birthday of the rainbow nation — so-called, not because of the colour spectrum comprising the nation, but because of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow with its ”black elite only” sign.
All shall enjoy equal human rights, but the governing party hierarchy and their friends shall enjoy more. There shall be work and security, particularly for those who already have work and financial security. There shall be houses, security and comfort — armed-response mansions (or two) for the elite, and crime-exposed, apartheid-era matchboxes for the masses.
The people shall vote, but it will be the interests of unknown party donors that will govern. Let the celebrations begin! (PS: by gold-embossed invitation only).