Last Laugh
This could prove a toxic relationship. Not only in light of Mthethwa and the government’s stance on art – that there are lines artists cannot cross – but the way in which the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) assumes to fund initiatives that are self-serving. Vuyani Dance’s Theatre’s production,
an over-simplistic depiction of xenophobia, which was part of the DAC’s Africa Month programme, is a good example of how art can paper over and over-compensate for government failures. Does the DAC fund art by African nationals in our country?
A large percentage of the arts community will not recognise Cifsa due to the exclusionary processes and twisted ethics surrounding its establishment and nomination processes. The debates surrounding this newly formed organisation are not incidental to this year’s National Arts Festival as they force us to analyse the relationship between artists and the government at a time when it has become quite strained.
Satire tests this relationship without always dealing with the push-pull underlying it – artists aren’t making work about how their community relates to the government.
The fundamental schism right now between the government and the arts community seems to be linked to quite differing views on its purpose. As Mthethwa revealed last year and the draft for the new White Paper on culture affirms, art continues to be seen as a tool, an instrument for politicians to create work and “rebuild” society.
From this point of view, it is hard to see a place for satire or art that critically engages with politics or even attitudes in the society that are destructive, which the government or Zuma has tacitly endorsed.
The organisers might appear to be butting heads with Mthethwa over his stance on creative expression and its limits. However, they are also doing so under the safe cover of Uys – he is hardly seen as edgy or dangerous.
Where is the exhibition of the “offending” works of satire or shows that deal with its fallout? Where is the platform for artists to discuss Cifsa, the issues tied to the new White Paper on culture or the fact that the DAC has signed a cultural accord with Russia despite its growing record of human rights abuses?
Due to the advance planning required in the organisation of a festival this large, they cannot respond to thorny issues in the present, but it probably suits the organisers, who like to think of themselves as progressive and politically engaged, but do so without stirring the pot. A spaceship lands in the middle of Cape Town at midnight and two robots emerge and start scouting around. Soon they come to a petrol station where there’s a line of pumps.
One robot whips out a fearsome weapon and points it at one of the pumps. “Take me to your leader,” it commands. No reply. The robot activates the weapon and repeats: “Take me to your leader or I’ll atomise you.”
He is about to demolish the pump when his companion says: “Hang on R2D. Don’t shoot; he can’t hear you. He has his finger in his ear.”