Festival where dwarfs have fun
Beers, braais and dancing were the order of the day at the fifth dwarf festival
MUSIC is blaring, the beer is flowing and meat is sizzling on the braai. As the day warms up, people mill about as they would at any outdoor festival. Then an announcement comes over the sound system: “All dwarfs, gather together!”
The voice belongs to Deon Calitz, organiser of the annual Dwarf Festival, which this year is taking place at a resort near Modimolle, Limpopo.
His rallying cry means it’s time for the tug of war – and today festivalgoers are going to show the staff of the security company that dynamite does indeed come in small packages.
Twelve little people grab one end of the rope and the security staff in camouflage outfits anchor themselves at the other end. “On your marks, ready . . . heave!” Deon yells. The little people dig their feet into the ground and yank on the rope with concerted effort. The other guys groan as they try to fight back – but their efforts are in vain.
“Today we’re showing that dwarfs can do everything normal people do, sometimes even better,” Deon declares after their triumph.
This festival – now in its fifth year – is important to South Africans living with dwarfism. It’s a time of camaraderie and fun, a celebration of the bond between them and a time to relax with family and friends. “We hold the festival every three years and each time we go to a different town so all the dwarfs in South Africa can come together,” says Marinda, Deon’s wife who doesn’t have dwarfism. They’ve been married for 12 years and started the festival in 2005.
THE temperature is soaring above 30°C and the beer tent is getting fuller. Hot and thirsty festivalgoers crowd around the bar, standing on their tiptoes to reach mugs of frothy lager. On the dance floor Bernadine Coetzer (19) is enjoying the music. She’s just been crowned Miss Dwarf 2017 and, with a silver tiara perched on her head, she glides across the dance floor with one dwarf after another.
Bernadine came with her family all the way from Heilbron in the Free State to attend the event. “Winning means so much to me,” she says. “It’s shown me again that I’m not nothing. I’m unique.
“I’m going to study fashion design,” she adds. “I want to design clothing for other dwarfs. We have to wear kids’ clothes, but I’d really like us to be stylish.”
We also meet Mr Dwarf 2017, six-yearold Adrian Coetzee from Rustenburg.
“We bring him here so he can see there are other people like him,” says his dad, Johan. “Here he can make friends. I think he won because he did such an adorable dance routine.”
Nearby, Arrie Venter from Rustenburg is enjoying the shade of a large tree. He’s not a little person but he’s here with his wife, Maritza, and five-year-old daughter, Mia, who both have dwarfism. “You have a wonderful time and you get a lot of tips on how to make life easier,” he says.
“For instance, one guy added pedal extensions to his car using bolts so they don’t come loose easily when his wife is driving. I’m going to do that for Maritza.”
As the bushveld sun disappears over the horizon, a singer steps on stage and croons a country song. Here and there a few people are still dancing but most of the families are settling down for a peaceful evening around the campfire.
Tomorrow they’ll all head home in different directions but they’ll be back in three years for more fun, games and community spirit.
They feel “normal” here, one festivalgoer says. Nobody stares at them – people who don’t have dwarfism are the odd ones out here.