By Siyamthanda Mnyiwana
I was born and bred in the city of the National Arts Festival (NAF) – Makhanda!
But fest didn’t mean much to me when I was growing up.
Every year during festival time, the only thing I looked forward to was the funfair rides and getting the sweet treats that were only available at this time of the year. It was always exciting because my cousins from other provinces would come and visit for the holidays, and we would troop to the fair together.
We weren’t really aware of the shows or the purpose of the Fest. But, we looked forward to bumping into celebrities that we used to see on television. For me, the Festival meant getting new toys and warm socks at Church Square. It meant seeing people on the streets singing and dancing. I enjoyed watching the marimba crew because I used to play marimba at Samuel Ntsiko Primary.
It was only in my matric year at Nombulelo High in 2022 that I got the idea that the Festival is not only about the rides.
I was one of several learners from local no-fee schools that our teachers picked to attend the Festival for a whole week. I’m still not even sure who organised it! We were transported to and from several shows every day (even at night!), and we ate lunch and supper in one of the Rhodes University dining halls.
I finally actually got the gist of the festival – that it was a space where people around the country and the world came and showcased their talents in a dizzying range of arts disciplines and genres. It was such a great experience.
I got to see the town that I lived in through a completely different lens. And now that I’m working as a reporter for Cue (as a Journalism and Media Studies 3 student at Rhodes University), I’m deep inside the festival.
One thing I have realised is that not everything on offer at the NAF requires money. Growing up, we thought that to participate, you should have cash to purchase tickets for everything. But there are events like the Sundowner Concerts, Nali’ibali storytelling events for kids, and many art exhibitions – all for free.
Township residents don’t really attend these events. Most people don’t have knowledge of these things, and transport is a barrier – the Monument is especially far from the location. More needs to be done to connect local people with the festival.
Now that I know what Festival means, next year I will make it a point to help my nieces and nephews get an expanded view of the Festival. I don’t want them to see the festival as I used to when I was growing up.
