The disappearance of R150-million from the Arts and Culture department has caused uncertainty in the plans for the 15-day National Arts Festival in Grahamstown this year.
The disappearance of R150-million from the Arts and Culture department has caused uncertainty in the plans for the 15-day National Arts Festival in Grahamstown this year.
According to reports in national newspapers, two officials in the department have been suspended and a forensic audit is being conducted to determine what happened to the money put aside for special World Cup programmes for various festivals around the country.
The results of the audit will be made public as soon as they are available. The National Arts Festival (NAF) office applied for a onceoff R10-million grant from the Department of Arts and Culture which was meant to be specifically used for increasing the number of South African productions at the Festival this year.
The Festival office hoped that having more local productions at the Festival would make a big impact during the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
They hoped to use these funds to market the Festival to a wider audience so that they can capitalise on tourists attending the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
Therefore the extended National Arts Festival programme will run from 20 June until 4 July. The disappeance of these funds could mean that some of the newer initiatives planned by the Festival office might have to be cancelled.
However, Festival CEO Tony Lankester said that they have a network of funders and sponsors who have supported the Festival over the years, and who have committed to continue supporting this year’s event. “With their assistance we are able to proceed with our plans for the 2010 Festival which we are now in the stages of detailed planning,” he said.
He added that the grant from the department would be additional funding which would help the Festival make as great a contribution as possible, attracting a greater number of visitors to the Eastern Cape.
“We eagerly await the outcome of our application to the Department of Arts and Culture and are hopeful
that we may get clarity soon,” said Lankester.
Grahamstown’s NAF is one among several other festivals that could be affected by the shortfall including the Ellisras Bushveld Festival, Calitzdorp Port Festival and the Volksblad Arts Festival in Bloemfontein which wil all take place during the World Cup.
