The MEC of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC), Xoliswa Tom, discussed the achievements and challenges of this year’s Festival during a media briefing at the 1820 Settlers Monument on Friday.
The MEC of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture (DSRAC), Xoliswa Tom, discussed the achievements and challenges of this year’s Festival during a media briefing at the 1820 Settlers Monument on Friday.
Tom said an amount of R4.126-million was invested by the Eastern Cape provincial government for the 2009
Festival. She pointed out various local projects, such as craft sales, township homestays and Wordfest. In terms
of craft sales she said “141 projects from all seven districts benefited through sales at the Eastern Cape craft
marquee at Village Green.
“Crafts to the value of R48 288.50 had been sold as of 8 July. All proceeds of sales go directly to the crafter’s account.” Tom says the performers of the Indigenous Orchestra Project each received a R1 000 as a performance fee and R105 per day as subsistence, courtesy of the Eastern Cape government.
In response to questions from the media, Festival CEO Tony Lankester said that the public’s response to the relocation of the Village Green to the Great Field at Rhodes University “was largely positive.” He named the three key features of the Festival as being innovation, partnership and learning. “We are proud of being in partnership with local artists because they also get opportunities to be recognised on a global level,” he said.
In terms of accommodation, Tom said 82 homes were used to accommodate visitors including government officials
and various performing groups at the Kwam-eMakana Homestays project and an amount of R459 800 was generated. Expressing her gratitude for the local accommodation and transport services, she said the services were excellent. She also said taxis, community liason officers and booking office assistants made an estimated R200 000.
Some of the issues discussed were the difference in the quality of technical assistance and accessibility of different venues and the relocation of the Village Green to Rhodes University. Lankester said the type of venue is allocated depending on when the company registers with the Grahamstown Foundation. It was also raised that the Children’s Festival is not affordable for most people. In response to those issues, Lankester said the Arts Festival council will make an evaluation, where all the issued raised will be discussed so that they can improve next year’s festival. Over the first weekend of the Festival, a box office record was set when R413 000 worth of tickets were sold on Saturday. According to Lankester, it’s the first time that the R400 000 barrier was broken in a single day.
The Fifa World Cup will run concurrently with next year’s Arts Festival so it was officially announced that the Festival has been extended to 15 days in 2010. Tom said the provincial department is still in discussions with Makana Municipality in connection with 2010 preparations which includes the venue for the public viwing area where world cup matches will be broadcast. In closing, the HOD of DSRAC, Bubele Mfenyana said, “this giant is about to sleep until it awakes next year.”
