The National Arts Festival (NAF) officially opened on Thursday for its second fully online event featuring works some of Africa’s best works, including visual art, comedy, storytelling, music and theatre performances.
In the virtual press conference hosted on Thursday, the festival CEO, Monica Newton, said that the online space had many advantages because it meant that the festival could “sustain income opportunities for the artists” during this challenging period.
She also confirmed that the festival would remain a blend of digital and live in the future.
Newton also acknowledged that the professionalism and dedication of the NAF team, artists and technical crews have been key under the time constraints and said that the adversity of the past two years has really strengthened and reinforced the festival’s relationship with artists.
With over 200 shows, exhibitions, webinars and workshops, films and performances, we have selected three shows you may look forward to this weekend at the NAF.
Zilin
Nashilongweshipwe Mushaandja’s “Zilin” is a musical journey with a performance that highlights the notion of a borderless Africa through its musical explication.
The project is a reclaiming of the African heritage of song and musical production.
Don’t miss the show on Friday, July 9, at 8pm.
White Noise starring Chester Missing and Conrad Koch
The truth is that racism is like bad décor. Unless you actually deal with it, it’s still there.
In this show, “Chester Missing” hilariously proposes (to Conrad, so you get to judge him first) that instead of ignoring apartheid, and colonialism and how they shaped us, let’s face them together with jokes.
The experience is interactive, and will involve suggestions and comments from the audience. The show promises to be a belly-laugh-packed yet thought-provoking online experience.
The show starts at 2pm, on Saturday, July 10.
Commission Continua
Bright Maluleke – played by Tony Bonani Miyambo – an employee who copies and archives official documents from the commissions.
He does his best to stick to his brief and ignore the content of the files – but this proves difficult when faced with all these pages giving an account of the most critical and catastrophic moments in South Africa’s history.
In the frugal setting of a photocopier, a microphone and a loop station, he begins to give vent his annoyance with the ‘paper jam’.
Directed by Phala Ookeditse Phala, “Commission Continua” interrogates South African society’s struggle for real change and reconciliation.
For the full programme, bookings and viewing portal visit National Arts Festival.