My Experience of the National Arts Festival 2018

by Aaaron Samuel Mulenga 

I had heard of the annual National Arts Festival that takes place in Grahamstown several years ago, but for some reason I had never had the opportunity to attend it. This year was promised to be “11 Days of Amazing” as per the festival’s slogan. I was expecting this to be the best arts festival I had ever attended (granted, I had not been to many art festivals, but I was certainly expecting this one to be nothing short of “amazing”). 

There were many events at the festival to occupy ones time with, from dance performances to theatre shows, a range of musical experiences and of course visual art exhibitions. I was fortunate to be part of two shows at the festival this year. The first being Converge, exhibited at Raw Spot Gallery curated by Brunn Kramer and Ruth Simbao, which brought together 16 artists from different parts of Africa with an array of stories to tell through their work. The other exhibition I participated in was 40 Stones in the Wall, curated by Eben Lochner and Jonathan Griffiths in the Cory Room. It was a great experience to attend this year’s festival whilst simultaneously possessing the ability to be a participant in it. Aside from exhibiting, I took part in a painting session with the Standard Bank Art Is Container located at the Village Green on the Victoria Girl’s High School grounds. The container served as a hub cultivating a creative space. One such creatively cultivated activity in the container was that I got the opportunity to paint on stage while, the talented Jazz musician Lindiwe Maxola performed, coloring her own lively tone on a cool winter morning. 

If I were to give a few highlights for this year’s festival, I would say the exhibition by Igshaan Adams, When Dust Settles, held in the rotunda in the basement of the Monument, was amongst the top highlights for me. Aside from the physical works of art in the space, Igshaan also performed a moving piece where he washed the feet of his brother, who in turn did the same for him. It was a simple and somber piece but poignant in its layered message, which in turn made me think about what it would mean for me to wash the feet of each of the members of my family. This is something I intend to do when I return home. 

Apart from the visual art, I also enjoyed seeing a Jazz performance by Thandi Ntuli who was this year's Standard Bank Young Artist winner for Jazz. Her performance was riveting and carried weight as her lyrics gifted the audience pearls of wisdom reminding her listeners to be their brother and sister’s keepers. She encouraged her audience to work towards building a better tomorrow for one another regardless of their race, class or gender. I sat there listening to her perform, thinking to myself -here is a woman using her talent as a beacon of light in an environment where people are sometimes only present for the thrill of the song-, and needless to say- I was encouraged. 

I also enjoyed listening to the music of Guy Buttery who is this year's Standard Bank Young Artist winner for music. His music was so melodious and soothing which could have easily led me into a trance had he kept playing through the night. I especially enjoyed how he shared snippets of his musical journey during intervals in between songs, as well as some of the events in his life that led him to be a musician. Finally, I was captivated by the music of Samthing Soweto, formerly a member of the acapella band The Soil. I could go on and make a lengthy list of must-see performances, however; I was unable to view all the shows I intended to as I could not afford to see them all, but I was nonetheless grateful for what I experienced. 

In as much as the festival brings together a host of talented performers and artists one would need to pay for many of the shows, unless you have a free entrance pass. Even then these passes will not give you access to all the shows. The festival does seek to cater for people who cannot afford to pay for shows by giving away free tickets to its earlier shows and placing concessions on ticket prices, but the discounts on these ticket prices minimal. If you are tight on cash my suggestion would be to highlight a few key shows, prioritize the ones you think you will enjoy the most and pay for those. I personally appreciated the Village Green because I could see a number of free performances there.   

My final piece of advice on how best to enjoy the festival would be to have a good group of friends to explore with. While it would be a near impossible feat to see every performance or exhibition, exploring what you can in the time you have is worthwhile done with good company. My greatest highlight was moments shared with friends; they served as times to bond and forge new memories together. More than the event, it was the opportunity to get to know others better that truly made this year's festival amazing for me. 

^{Ubukata bwa kwa Lesa, 2018, As part of the Converge group show}

^{Myself with  Igshaan Adams at his show “When Dust settles”}

^{Igshaan during his performance with his brother}

^{Thandi Ntuli performs on stage at the DSG}

^{Myself painting on stage as Lindiwe Maxola sang} 

^{Aaron Samuel Mulenga is a MFA student with the NRF/DST SARChI Chair Geopolitics and the Arts of Africa, Arts of Africa and Global Souths research programme headed by Prof Ruth Simbao at the Department of Fine Arts, Rhodes University, South Africa.} 

Last Modified: Mon, 11 Feb 2019 10:32:29 SAST