Dancer breaks ground as fest’s featured artist
DANCER, choreographer and activist Mamela Nyamza is this year’s National Arts Festival’s (NAF) featured artist.
Each year, the festival celebrates the work of a featured artist – a South African artist who has consistently exhibited groundbreaking work and exceptional talent, shaping the arts narrative of South Africa.
This is the first time a dancer and choreographer has been made featured artist.
Previous featured artists include musician and composer Neo Muyanga (2017), director Lara Foot (2016), the genre of Satire (2015), director Sylvaine Strike (2014) and director Mike van Graan (2013).
Cape Town dancer Nyamza was recently named one of the 30 international artists to track this year by arts and politics website Clyde Fitch Report.
While Nyamza does most of her work internationally, she said she was honoured to be named this year’s featured artist back home.
“It is also an indication of true leadership by the National Arts Festival, in trying to make their platform as diverse and as transformed as possible.
“I am sure that moving forward, many young black female artists will be truly inspired by this positive change, and they can also start to believe that it is possible to be acknowledged.”
Nyamza said working abroad and not being able to showcase her work in South Africa was a bittersweet victory for her.
“I have been knocking and knocking by applying at these institutions, but I have been declined or simply ignored.
“But because I love my art, I keep on in the midst of this adversity,” she said.
“I will probably die dancing on foreign soil.”
Talking about her appearance at the festival later in the year, Nyamza said one of her passions as an artist was diverse audience development and that her trilogy of work created between 2016 and last year would attempt to invite a diverse audience.
Nyamza encouraged artists who will be appearing on the festival’s Fringe Programme for the first time this year to regard this platform as the core foundation of the entire festival.
“This is where fresh, visionary and indeed brave work springs from.”
NAF artistic committee dance programme curator David April said: “Nyamza encapsulates what Nina Simone once articulated – that an artist’s duty is to reflect the times.
“Nyamza’s work remains politically charged and tackles issues which also challenge societal norms. It is quite fitting that audiences will be given the opportunity to witness her work.”
This year’s Arts Festival runs from June 28 to July 8 in Grahamstown.