Oyster Festival lost to locals

Warren Fleming writes: Knysna is for sale; The Festival previously known as the Oyster.

I moved to this town when I was a teenager, back in 1996. I had a huge love for cycling, fishing and the beauty of the outdoors. Being dragged here by my parents was a massive change in life coming from the Gupta’s Paradise, but I very soon I made this seaside town my home.

Every year we had this amazing festival in the middle of winter known as The Knysna Oyster Festival, now anyone who has been in this town long enough may remember it. It was the highlight of the quiet time of the year where family’s could go to the sports fields, grab a bite to eat from a fairground stand, ride a Ferris wheel, and I could watch my old man put away a few pints of the local brew.

The entire 10 days were dotted with events held at local venues, which were always jam packed with supporting locals. Like I said some may remember this event. Because that was the Knysna Oyster Festival. Something we have not had here for a long time.

Oysters were the main event of this midyear festival, from shucking, to eating, to cooking and goodness knows what else… I can hardly even recall, there were so many crazy fun and well supported activities.

The concept of this festival was to generate and support local businesses over what was considered a quiet business period of the year. Locals supporting locals and using locals, to not only generate income from within the town, but to market certain sporting and social events to attract visitors to support our growing accommodation and tourism industry.

Over the years our little winter festivities grew and the Oyster festival became a huge event on the calendar of South Africa. Oysters were a treat and in abundance, people flocked in from all over the country and it was truly once a great event. The recipe of success was perfect for this town.

Sadly, somewhere along the way the concept of this midyear attraction lost its way. Big sponsors and money making took over, with that came greed and a push to market a concept rather than the ideals. Outsourcing of tradesmen was one of the first signs of the reins falling down the wayside. Big corporates started taking over and owning the festival as a business and local supporting local became a long-forgotten idea to the organisers of this once great event.

For a number of years I have watched the Festival slowly become more of a business. Local entrepreneurs fell by the way side to corporate name brands. Locals supporting locals no longer mattered as corporate sponsors like big beer manufactures and nationwide supermarkets pumped money in to grow their names. The organisers selling the soul of the once great name, becoming a beneficiary of money, supposed goodwill charity and sad realizations that they forgot they too are locals.

Ok why is it still about oysters? All locals know it is not. We all know we don’t cultivate oysters here anymore. Knysna as a town is not known on the map for oysters. Once we were, but that legacy is long lost. Why live a dead name?. Why not change it to something appropriate like the Knysna Winter Festival? Secondly, why not make it about the people of Knysna again. And by this, I mean the people who live here, work here and make Knysna happen all year round? Because currently this so called festival that makes so much money in 10 days does not whole heartedly support Knysna.

One example is my trade. Photographic industry, we have a basis of a good collection of photographers and videographers here that can sustain the workload. Yet it is all outsourced from Cape Town and other areas by the companies that own various events. Easily over 100k of work in 10 days is given away to non locals. That is just one area. Sad really. Especially when you look at the fundamentals of what the Knysna Oyster Festival was set out to do. And I know of many other aspects that could be done locally that are all being outsourced.

Why is this? Because the local municipality, tourism especially and organisers have been so quick to sell off various aspects to make a quick buck. Their saving grace is look at how much income it generates… now I have no issue with how much money they generate, but money is only a valid currency to the people that earn or receive. Which is hardly the case anymore, as it was once upon a time. Numbers mean nothing if the hard working people of this town don’t see it.

Knysna is on sale to the highest bidder. Small company’s and individuals don’t matter much as long as there is a marketing value that can be measured. Money and figures only matter in newspapers and statistics, but it does not pay my rent.

Then let’s add a small fire. I say small, even though it really was pretty massive. But, yes small. Because to the people who market this town and want visitors to come here and have a jolly good time, they are the ones who didn’t lose a thing. Life can go on and life can be great. Viva Knysna. No water problems. No accommodation issues. Business as usual. Meanwhile the actual people of Knysna are still on training wheels. Mentally and physically. Turning a blind eye to what has happened is hard. It is hard. It sucks. It is not easy. Embracing thousands of visitors is not a great idea. And then you get the few that say, oh but certain businesses rely on the Oyster Festival. Personal thoughts, if you rely on 10 days of anyway to make your business work you are doing something wrong. If you cannot make a success without 10 days of income a year you seriously need to rethink your business strategy. Just my 2 cents worth.

A town like this can go a year without this chaos and influx of tourism. A year, wait 10 days. Take a lesson from mother nature and see how she can claim her land back and look at how we as locals can. The Knysna Oyster Festival can be a new growth in a small town for the people and businesses of Knysna to once again come together and make something great.

I don’t know about you, but when did you last feel like a local?