Scores of people from all over the globe have come to the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown either to take part in the festivities, or simply to enjoy the atmosphere.
Scores of people from all over the globe have come to the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown either to take part in the festivities, or simply to enjoy the atmosphere.
Grocott's Mail spoke with many people who have had different thoughts on the Festival this year. This is what they had to say.
Baba Amisi, a stall holder in Church Square who hails from Cape Town, has been coming to the Festival for the past seven years.
He said that this year, business has been bad, which he thinks is because of the "economic crisis", and also because tourists go to the Village Green more since they moved it to Rhodes University.
Isaias Tivane, originally from Mozambique, who also has a stall in Church Square, said that ever since they decided to move the Village Green in 2009, business has declined.
"I cannot call Church Square a part of the Festival, I call it a flea market," he said. Nosisi Sogoni who is a pensioner from Mthatha and sells her bead work at Village Green, said business has been highly profitable this year.
"My first customer last year was Arts and Culture MEC Pemmy Majodina.
She came again this year with another MEC from Kwa-Zulu Natal," she said. She also mentioned that the rain had not affected her business profits in any way.
Frequent festival goer Marilyn Willows, who comes from East London, loves the people and the atmosphere. She said, "You have to take the Festival as it comes – and not mind the weather."
