Arts festival brings satire to spotlight
EDGY satire will seize centrestage at this year’s 41st National Arts Festival, which runs from Thursday July 2 to Sunday July 12 in Grahamstown.
The giant arts programme listing 400 productions, and which showcases the Eastern Cape internationally, was officially launched yesterday.
Festival’s artistic director, Ismail Mahomed, said the organisers had chosen to respond to social and political debates raging in South Africa by highlighting the genre of satire in the place of their usual “featured artist” category.
“The arts need to challenge and provoke; South Africa’s satirists, cartoonists, commentators and court jesters need, now more than ever, to be given the opportunity to be the public voice, the conscience, of the nation,” Mahomed said.
He said South Africa’s most acclaimed satirists, veteran Pieter-Dirk Uys, plus the newer Chester Missing, Loyiso Gola and Iain EWOK Robinson, as well as works like Tara Notcutt’s Three Blind Mice – would challenge audiences and get them to laugh at themselves.
The festival’s Arts Icon series would celebrate the work of the 70-year-old master satirist Pieter-Dirk Uys with the staging of four of his productions.
New voices and talents exploring “fresh creative territories” would see the inclusion of women artists Thoko Ndlozi, Maralin Vanreenen, Mamela Nyamza, Bronwen Forbay, Faniswa Yisa, Patricia Boyer, and Nelisiwe Xaba.
“The contemporary music line-up also sizzles with swag, with Ray Phiri in town for a one-night-only solo concert. Beatenburg, Shortstraw, Thandiswa Mazwai and MiCasa all feature on the Main programme.”
He said another innovation was the introduction of the featured young curator.
“This year it’s Johannesburg-based curator Lerato Bereng, who works at the Stevenson Gallery.”
Festival spokeswoman Gilly Hemphill said the full programme and booking kit was available at selected Standard Bank and Exclusive Books branches and would be online from April 30 on the website.
Bookings open on May 8 via the website: www.nationalartsfestival.co.za or the ticketing call centre at 0860-002-004 — dispatch.co.za