There are just a few more days to jam in all the theatre, dance, visual art, music, jazz, public art, magic, comedy and more. The Festival ends on Sunday 30 June but not before you’ve topped up your culture quota.
Music is the Fuel
The 50th celebrations are in full swing so get the party groove on with the soulful sounds of Jazz with Asanda Mqiki (The Gold Experience) or make a date with the legendary Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse (who earned his name by playing non-stop for 20 minutes in the dark) – still hot at 72. The 2023 Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz, Darren English presents The Birth and on other jazz stages Kesivan and the Lights will fire it up with a line-up of jazz industry leaders. Melikhaya Heugh, who was born blind and with a deep affinity for music, teams up with the soothing baritone voice of Dumza Maswana on the Dakawa Jazz stage. Also a part of Dakawa Jazz this weekend is the great Africa Mkhize.
At The Black Power Station the line-up includes The Muffinz, one of South Africa’s premier live music outfits who first released music to critical acclaim 11 years ago, with their album Have you You Heard? The Black Power Station programme has further events and more.
Stellar dance and theatre across the stages
Theatre aficionados are in for a treat with MoMo Matsunyane’s Ka Lebitso La Moya, presented by the 2023 Standard Bank Young Artist for Theatre. Mesmerising dance productions Bond-Edge and Golden City (part of the Third Space project) are a showcase of inter-African collaboration. Empatheatre brings two productions to the stage that are rooted in community stories: the powerful Lalela uLwandle and the poignant The Last Country. Third World Bunfight’s much anticipated work The Stranger will also premiere. This new piece from Brett Bailey was conceived with music by indigenous music practitioner Nkosenathi Koela.
Don’t miss your chance to see renowned actress, Bo Petersen, back on stage in SA to share an intimate family history of the emotional challenges of living secretly in a mixed-race family under apartheid in Pieces of Me.
How many cups of tea does it take to wake up and smell the coffee? all my ex-lovers are dead is a one-hander that explores love, desire and poor life choices starring Qondiswa James.
Poignant dance piece Aslama explores the heart-wrenching challenges faced by individuals in war-torn Syria who are enduring the harsh realities of violence. Yaseen Manuel’s highlights their resilience amid adversity is this dance piece.
Deep thought, deep talk
Delve into thought-provoking discussions with the ArtTalk 50/30 series, featuring Reparation. Redux which explores South Africa’s modern history, haunted by the land question. Cycles of violent dispossession of land, from colonial times onwards, has caused communities to be partitioned from ancestral graves, their indigenous knowledge systems and practices, the natural environment and a connection to a sense of self.
In Solidarity , the panel considers that humanity repeats its violences and genocides. Asking what role the law (and art) plays in attaining justice and how we reimagine solidarity to be both immediately responsive while also reparative through acknowledging new traumas that will remain with people and communities over several generations.
Complex and Interesting Visual Arts
Beyond the performing arts, a feast of visual art exhibitions will give you timeout to explore and expand. Mattering: 50 Years of the Festival considers fragments of the Festival’s archive. Izandi Zemilambo Yabo Kuthi / The Sounds of Their Rivers in Us, is Mandla Mbothwe’s tribute to the artists we have lost. Nature is Louder is a street art intervention that has evolved though the Festival or take a walk through thought-provoking installations like The Abyssal Zone and A LUTA CONTINUA: Reflecting on 30 years of democracy through Constitutional Court Art Collection. Don’t miss the 2023 Standard Bank Young Artist for Visual Art Stephané Conradie’s work Weg Wysers van die Blinkuur at the Monument Gallery.
Spoilt for Choice on the Fringe
The Fringe is bursting with great work. In fact it will be hard to choose. If time is short head straight for one of the Standard Bank Ovation Award winners, some of the winners that are still on this weekend include Sorry For The Weight by comedian Khanyisa Jamjam, The Art of Being by Sarah Cookney Academy of Dance and STANZA Dance Company, Sarafina! by Sonwa Sakuba Institute for the Performing Arts, Odd Man Out by funny man Stuart Taylor and the magic show ILLUSIONARIUM by Brendon Peel.
Makhanda’s own renowned Kwantu Choir is still on this weekend with The Offering and Makhaola Ndebele’s Cantos of a Life in Exile follows the journey of a South African born in exile, searching for a sense of belonging and a place to call home or enjoy some timely political satire in My Fellow South Africans.
For families, Standard Bank Ovation winners A Froggie Fairytale by Theatresmiths and The Moon Looks Delicious From Here by Aldo Brincat will inspire a new generation of theatre fans.
2023 Fringe favourite The Agents are back in town! An outrageous satirical comedy that tears apart the absurdities of the real estate industry, it’s billed as a “spicy, laugh-out-loud cringefest”.
There’s plenty of talk about Camdeboo, the powerful story by Ayanda Nxumalo, that traces vignettes of Sara Baartman’s life and its mirrors and parallels in modern society. The production makes use of poetry, music and movement to teach the younger generation about Baartman’s life.
Another story about a woman rising is Madam President Evelyn, a local production in which the central character a domestic worker called Evelyn Peter is vying for the presidency in the 2024 elections. Makhanda is abuzz with anticipation: what changes might Evelyn bring if elected? This satirical, dance-infused ensemble play shines a spotlight on those who have long been overlooked, revealing their stories and struggles.
Vibes at the Village Green
The sun has been shining on the National Arts Festival. Maybe it was a special 50th Anniversary gift but the beanies and gloves have stayed in the bag this year. Catch the last weekend of the Festival and some great gifts, arts and crafts – not to mention a bit of lunch and some drinks – at the heart of the Festival, the Village Green.
This is just a taste of the artistic feast that awaits you at the Arts Festival this weekend. With so much to see and experience, be sure to grab your tickets and get ready to immerse yourself in the magic of creativity!
