The National Arts Festival's Artistic Director Ismail Mahomed is thrilled with this year's programme for the Festival. Here he tells Grocott's Mail some of his highlights.
The National Arts Festival's Artistic Director Ismail Mahomed is thrilled with this year's programme for the Festival. Here he tells Grocott's Mail some of his highlights.
Family fare and public art
"There's lots for families to enjoy at this year's Festival," says Artistic Director Ismail Mohamed. "Some free, some just at affordable prices." Getting families to the Festival is key to making it sustainable, he said during an interview about the programme this week. And the Festival's international partners are helping make good-quality family fare available this year.
Theatre
The Festival features the world premier of Craig Higginson's 'The Imagined Land'. Mahomed describes Higginson as one of South Africa's strongest contemporary playwrights. "What's encouraging to see, too, is that artists who started off on the Fringe are now on the Main." He names Tara Notcutt, whose Three Blind Mice is on this year's Main, as one of those who has benefited from the Fringe as an incubator.
Crossover
"There's an increasing synergy and crossover between different genres." Along with this is a burgeoning emphasis on freedom of expression – and indeed, this year's programme features Section 16 of the South African Constitution prominently on its cover.
Satire
This year's featured artist is not a person, it's a genre. Satire is a recurrent theme in this year's programme and deliberately so. "Satire allows us to reflect on where we are as a nation," Mahomed says. "Once again we are in a politically volatile place. "After 20 years, it's time to take off our rose-coloured glasses – and we're doing this with satire this Festival. It's a tool – to be critical with humour, and respect."
Solo
The Solo Season was launched in 2012 as a way to deal with uncertain funding. "It's taken on an identity of its own this year," said Mahomed.
Jazz
"The jazz this year is very strong," says Mahomed, naming Lionel Loueke as one of the highlights.
Connections
The National Arts Festival is extending and deepening its connections, he said. In addition to its traditional partners, the Festival now enjoys links with South American countries as well as, closer to home, Zimbabwe and Rwanda. The Festival is also enjoying its 20th year of support by the Netherlands Embassy. "They've given us 50 fantastic productions over the past 20 years," Mahomed says. "It's a very dynamic collaboration." And the French connection has opened the way to Francophone Africa, with music from Madagascar's Eusebe Jaojoby offering a fresh experimental sound.
Celebrations
"The Festival is a platform for conversations and dialogues," Mahomed says. "But it is also a celebration." This year, the Festival celebrates composer Peter Klatzow's 80th birthday, and the 60th anniversary of Grahamstown-based institution Ilam – the International Library of African Music – amongst other anniversaries.
What will Mahomed be watching?
"As much as possible!"
He says it's wonderful being a member of the audience – but the most exciting time is from August to February, when he's putting together the programme for the following year. "It's matching diverse strands with diverse audiences," he says. "Then March to June is the nail-biting time when we find out if our audiences have bought into the programme we've created."
