The Phezulu Stiltwalkers are embarking on a multi-city tour from 7 to 16 May to promote the 15 Days of Amaz!ng at the National Arts Festival (20 June to 4 July).
The Phezulu Stiltwalkers are embarking on a multi-city tour from 7 to 16 May to promote the 15 Days of Amaz!ng at the National Arts Festival (20 June to 4 July).
During June 2009, with a small funding grant from the National Arts Festival, Rhodes University drama student Richard Antrobus gathered five unemployed young men from Grahamstown’s township community and put them through a skills-transfer programme.
According to Festival Director Ismail Mahomed, “Richard Antrobus hadn’t only given these men the
right to stand tall and be counted, but he gave them the power to take giant strides in a way that they
had never done before.”
Since the launching of this community engagement initiative last year, they have been able to secure regular performances, and have been able to continuously earn some money for their work. For most community-based artists in South Africa, the ability to earn an income from a performance is a rare opportunity.
“This kind of partnership which focuses on effective skills transfer will shift community theatre artists from the realm of unemployment to initiatives that will have a more measurable impact on the way they are able to participate in the creative industries,” said Mahomed.
The Phezulu Stiltwalkers are one of the many arts development initiatives at the National Arts Festival. The Festival’s Hands On!
Masks Off! Programme, sponsored by Business and Arts South Africa and the National Arts Council, will
present a series of workshops aimed at strengthening the entrepreneurial capacity of the arts community.
The Phezulu Stiltwalkers and the Arts Factory, coupled with the Festival’s ArtReach Project, will lead a number of productions that will travel from the festival stages to present performances in Grahamstown’s clinics, hospices, prisons and old age homes, reinforcing the festival’s mission to articulate the Arts for All campaign in real terms.
