Going beyond gatekeepers of culture to give platform to all
What support does SA need to put in place at a national or regional level to nurture young writers and storytellers?
This is such a big question I’m not sure I can answer it. Behind almost every project is someone passionately trying to make a difference, so I don’t want to disparage what’s out there. In fact, more funding for existing projects and organisations would be a great place to start.
You’ve been committed to creating independent spaces for local writers and performers for many years. Why?
I hate the idea of gatekeepers in culture – that only a few people have the ability to give a wide platform to new voices. I think that having a platform gives you a responsibility to take risks. Institutions have power to control access to training and opportunities and so far in South Africa, many have used it poorly when it comes to transformation. When I was younger and more fiery, my attitude was that if you couldn’t get in to some theatre or programme, then you made your own. It didn’t always work – my first “underground theatre” was shut down by municipal regulations after seven months! But I learnt a lot from it: failure is not a pleasant teacher, but it is an effective one. I have a theatre now and I’m not turning away anyone who is passionate about working in this crazy field. I never
want to be a gatekeeper.
Tell us about some initiatives you’re implementing at Alexander Bar to change creative spaces?
Well, Alexander Bar itself is an attempt at making a platform for independent theatre makers, with the best financial model for artists. But besides that, we’re also creators of the Open Theatre Toolkit – software that drastically lowers the cost of running a venue in terms of time and money by allowing small organisations to manage their entire operation on one platform. We want to see small theatres and galleries flourishing across the country. This is our way of contributing to that. We have a regular exchange of shows with POPart in Maboneng, Johannesburg and we’re building a relationship with Makukhanye Art Room in Khayelitsha to break down the racial divide in Cape Town cultural spaces. But it’s very much about supporting people with great ideas.
Can you tell us about your latest arts activism project?
The internet has changed the world, but many of the opportunities have been neglected in South Africa (and Africa more broadly). The world is not going to wait. We have to use the tools that are out there to shape our future. That may seem like a lot of big talk for getting academics and journalists in a room to update Wikipedia pages of South African oral, visual and musical storytellers, but I really do believe that so much South African cultural history is being forgotten through neglect every day. We’re planning on changing that!
Reading and telling stories with your children is a powerful gift to them. It builds knowledge, language, imagination and school success. For more information about the Nal’ibali campaign or to enter its national multilingual storytelling competition, Story Bosso, running this September,