The 43rd National Arts Festival (NAF) has been officially launched at the Guy Butler Theatre by Premier Phumulo Masualle, in Grahamstown on Wednesday evening.
The Premier recommitted the province to the oldest and one of the biggest festivals in the country by injecting a financial investment of R12,6 million.
A total of 2400 performances in the eleven days expected this year, which include theatre, dance, comedy, jazz, classical music, family theatre, film and more. NAF is South Africa’s most vibrant and diverse festival, a true reflection of the phrase “There is something for everybody.”
The festival is a cornerstone of the Eastern Cape province’s economy, contributing R377million annually to the Growth Domestic Product (GDP). This translates into jobs, from the tourist spending who support the work of the crafters and a myriad of activities that help the people of this province to enhance their lives. This a good example of how the arts can play a meaningful role in the reconstruction of the economy and country.
2017 marks 15 years of the Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture’s (Dsrec) support to the festival, as part of the overall R12,6 million injection. The department is also funding different categories of the NAF totaling to R3,6 million.
The official opening of these categories will kick start tomorrow, July1, where the visual arts and Craft will be displayed at an exhibition that will be in the Village Green tent and Albany Museum.
The Eastern Cape visual artists, through their silent medium with brush strokes, marks of pencils, modelled clay, print medium and carved wood, will portray the beauty of the province.This will be on the historic events that have shaped the province and the country, focusing on the legends of the province.
Among the visual artists, Ludwe Mgolombane whose works depict urban, social, and moral decay, has been chosen as the 2017 featured artist for this exhibition. Mgolombane lives and studied in the Nelson Mandela Metro.
