By Buhle Andisiwe Made
The National Arts Festival’s (NAF) Chief Executive Officer, Monica Newton, spoke to Grocotts Mail and Rhodes Music Radio presenters Amahle Shosha and Naledi Ndala about the upcoming National Arts Festival. The much anticipated NAF will be in full effect in Makhanda from 2 June to 2 July 2023.
Newton, who was appointed to run the festival in 2020, has been working alongside her team of creatives and executive team members, namely stakeholder manager Nobesuthu Rayi, artistic director Rucera Seethal, Fringe manager Zikhona Monaheng, as well as technical director Nicci Spalding. The team has curated an activity-filled 11 days of the festival.
Newton mentions that the NAF and Makana Municipality have assisted one another in refurbishing central areas around the town – fixing roads and cleaning the streets. Through their Social Employment Fund project, which is managed by NAF, they’ve been able to employ people from the town to work around Makhanda ahead of the upcoming events.
To accommodate the town’s water crisis and national loadshedding problem, the team of organisers has made provisions for water supplies within designated festival venues and ensured that most of the shows are located within buildings with backup generators as a contingency plan.
The festival has opted to digitalise its resources because of the environmental concerns around printing hundreds of pages on paper. Therefore, for tickets and finding venues, festival-goers are encouraged to search for their desired events online. Alternatively, the 1820 Settlers Monument building will be open for sales, directions, and any other festival-related queries.
This year serves as a reflective period for the NAF as it approaches its 50th anniversary in 2024. Newton describes this year’s festival as about “confirming our place and our legacy as one of the most exciting art spaces in South Africa and on the continent,” says Newton. A philosophical moment of the festival’s accomplishments through the years and the kind of impact it has shared amongst crowds.
With an itinerary so full, shows are about to begin. Learners, students, artists, and comedians are set to deliver their crafts to different crowds – “which is why the National Arts Festival is so special, audiences, artists, technicians – everyone is involved” says Newton, in an enthusiastic tone.
For more details on the festival, audiences are encouraged to browse through the festival’s website: https://nationalartsfestival.co.za
