LETTER TO THE EDITOR
By Masixole Heshu, Makhanda creative
As the curtain closed on NAF 2025, I was left with a deep sense of FOMO, not just for the performances I missed, but for the systemic imbalances I witnessed as a director, writer, and producer. The Festival offered a valuable opportunity to engage with the creative works of others, examining not only their content and context but also how they navigate the practical realities of production, casting, crew management, and resource allocation.
What became glaringly evident was the stark disparity in access. Some productions thrived with ample funding, rehearsal time, technical support, and human resources. Others struggled under the weight of limited or no support at all. This uneven playing field exposed the widening gap between those who can afford to create and those who must create in scarcity.
Such inequality doesn’t merely disadvantage individual artists, it undermines the integrity of the creative ecosystem. The conditions at NAF 2025 highlighted how the space, though celebrated, remains deeply rigged and increasingly toxic for those working at the margins. If we are to sustain a truly inclusive creative arts sector, we must urgently address these structural barriers that hinder equitable participation and expression.
For the creative community of Makhanda, the reality is even more disheartening. It is painful to witness the town being celebrated as a “creative city” when, in truth, that title often obscures the lived experiences of its local artists. Much of the creative expression showcased is imported, while the town’s own creators remain in the shadows, ignored like the potholes and persistent water crises that plague the city. Their work is rarely seen as central or valuable, despite their proximity to the very soil on which the Festival stands.
Response By Monica Newton, National Arts Festival CEO
Makhanda is a complex city, and the National Arts Festival operates within this
challenging space while also functioning in a fractious, underfunded and volatile
sector. We acknowledge that opportunities and resources are not always equitable
for every artist or production within these constraints.
However, our commitment to artists in our host town is clear and demonstrable. This
year, at a Festival that must represent all nine provinces and towns across the
land, 6% of all Festival productions were from Makhanda, (a further 29% of all
productions were from the Eastern Cape) with three Makhanda acts on the Curated
Programme. Local visual artists created murals (please look out for the new Nature
is Louder murals) and public sculptures, and local choirs and dancers graced various
stages. Notably, Fringe productions from Makhanda like A Childhood in Chalk, s’il
vous plait, Ndingekafi: Whispers of Redemption and Liminal received Ovation
Awards.
Local artists consistently feature in the Eastern Cape Showcase and opening
ceremonies and have performed alongside top SA artists like Msaki, Zoe Modiga
and Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse in recent years. A new Iqwijo Competition, launched by
the Festival, was won by Makhanda Gwijo Combined, an accolade that enabled
these young, and largely unknown, Makhanda artists to perform on stage with
headline act The Soil this year. This same group has now been invited to
Johannesburg for some exciting opportunities. To raise funds for this trip, they will be
performing at The Fiddlers Green Fan Park this weekend and we urge everyone to
support them.
While our strategy and mandate as a national festival is broad, involving many
stakeholders working to build a thriving arts ecosystem, Makhanda’s artistic
community and our home-base is a valued part of our identity and impact. We are
always open to constructive engagement and direct conversation about artists’
experiences and how we can improve. We encourage those with concerns to reach
out to us directly so we can have informed and fruitful engagements. Let’s work
together to foster this crucial ecosystem.
