Township shows not given prominence
THROUGH my observations as an artist and cultural activist, I perceive The Herald has been biased with regard to coverage of the city’s cultural and creative industries’ activities or showcases.
For instance, it is rare to see a township-based production enjoying the privilege of front page coverage, whether it’s drama, dance, music or poetry.
This is unlike those from the suburban or white communities who constantly enjoy the front page whenever they are going to present showcases of similar art forms.
These communities are privileged, whether they are to showcase a church, primary or high school production or whether it is done by a professional white or privileged community, whatever you may call it.
Their productions are fully covered by the paper with pictures of the productions and full lists of their cast members, but when it comes to our township-based productions the same is not the case.
I believe this should not be, as it will create a belief in or ill information to our audiences and the general public that in our previously disadvantaged areas the performing arts have deteriorated, hence we find our youth wandering around our streets with nothing good to do.
Our talents and productions should not only be afforded such an opportunity by The Herald when they are heading for overseas stages.
The municipality has committed to the township and creative economy, and that should motivate the paper to search for what is available in our communities.
The Port Elizabeth Opera House has been rolling out programmes that enable an endless list of cultural and creative showcases of productions across race, geographical position or class from which such productions originate.
All these productions never enjoy front page coverage in the paper, yet most possess international status and calibre.
It makes one wonder whether this is part of a hidden agenda to kill the creative economy in our township, to promote the ones in the city centre and suburban areas.
This year two artists or productions won Standard Bank Ovation awards at the National Arts Festival,
Lovechild and Xolisa Ngubelanga, and they also were never afforded front page coverage.
In December artists from the metro scooped more than six Eastern Cape Arts and Culture awards, which put the metro on another level in the creative sector.
These artists never made it to the front page of this paper, let alone being recognised or applauded by our municipality.
I believe that your bold, positive and fair coverage of local talent across the board will yield great results for both the industry and your paper.
Our excellence can’t be rested in social media rather than the print media.
I want to close this letter by reflecting on the letter written by Khusta Jack (“Play just what SA needs in these difficult times”, August 31).
He was expressing his fulfilment watching in the Opera House My
Boarding School – Ikanana, written by Monde Konza and directed by legendary Nomhle Nkonyeni. Let me first applaud Bra Khusta for, as a businessman and humanitarian/politician, taking time to reflect on how a theatrical production had affected him.
But I did not like the fact that you knew the cast was eight and you did not bother to find out who the others (bar your mention of Nosisi Mavela and Nomabotwe Mtikulu) in the cast were.
The line, “According to Konza, this is but the first attempt to ‘breed’ new actors for stage and screen performance”, strengthened my understanding that the “others”, according to Jack, were new or amateurs actors, hence he didn’t bother to find out their names for his letter.
I plead with Jack and his business friends to invest in the arts for the sake of our self-sustainability as the creative industry of Nelson Mandela Bay.
Mongezi Ncwadi, cultural activist, New Brighton, Port Elizabeth
OUR arts coverage is comprehensive and covers all communities in Nelson Mandela Bay. The writer is welcome to notify The Herald of upcoming productions he feels warrant publicity. – The editor