SmilingSouth

• You can still watch performances, even though the 2021 Festival has officially closed.
• Fringe artists benefit if you leave a message for them on Standard Bank’s Bank of Dreams portal.

The almost-all-online 47^th edition of the National Arts Festival provided a platform for artists to earn some income – although online fatigue and the violent events following the former president’s jailing for contempt of court meant smaller audiences.

The 2021 edition of the Festival was meant to be a hybrid event –  some live performances in Makhanda for smaller audiences, alongside an expanded online offering. Leading up to it, was a series of live performances under the Standard Bank Presents banner, in Cape Town, Durban and Joburg (the last was moved online as Joburg quickly turned into the epicenter of the Covid third wave).

Lockdown Level 4 meant locals could see the Nature is Louder street art project happening live, but everything else happened on screen – a switch the Festival achieved in less than two weeks.

“One of our clearest intentions for this Festival was to provide a space that would see artists and technicians working again,” said Festival CEO Monica Newton. “We are keenly aware of the severe impact of Covid-19 on artists’ livelihoods, and we also know that they need to be seen and heard by audiences and their fellow artists from whom they have been cut off for so long.”

The Eastern Cape Cape’s Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts & Culture created opportunities for Eastern Cape artists  through the Eastern Cape Showcase, in the curated and jazz programmes and at home, where physical pop-up shops were arranged in Gqeberha for crafters. 
 
“We were determined during these challenging times to ensure that our artists had an opportunity to transition from relief to recovery within their own creative spaces,” said MEC for Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Fezeka Nkomonye.”
 
The Festival attracted a supportive and enthusiastic community of online fans, but the number of visitors to the website was lower than in 2020. Newton said it was a tough year to hold the attention of audiences.

“Online fatigue has really set in for many people and the unrest in South Africa happened right in the middle of the Festival so many people’s attention was rightfully on the situation that we found ourselves in as a country.”

The Festival once again attracted an overseas audience, particularly from the United States, Britain, Ireland, Sweden, Indonesia, Canada, India and Nigeria. 

“We are hoping to return to live events and experiences as soon as possible, but there are some interesting possibilities for the arts online and we want to incorporate them into future festivals,” Newton said.

Audiences around the world interested in the arts in Africa, expats, and locals who choose online over live for various reasons are among those in a growing online audience.

Will the 48^th National Arts Festival will be live in Makhanda? Newton says 2021 showed the Festival needs a plan B, C and D,

“We have our sights set on a live Festival in 2022, but we know we can offer our programme online if we need to,” she said.

The Fringe is still online

Even though the Festival period has ended, the Fringe Live remains online for visitors to explore. Look out for all the Standard Bank Ovation Award winners (Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards). 
  
 
Support the  Festival’s Fringe Artists for free
 
Long-time National Arts Festival partner, Standard Bank, has designed a creative and simple way for arts-lovers to support the artists who brought work, at their own expense, to the 2021 National Arts Festival Fringe.
 
Click on Standard Bank’s Bank of Dreams  https://arts.standardbank.co.za and leave a message for the artists. Standard Bank will convert these messages into cash that will be shared with all the Fringe works ‘staged’ during the Festival period up until 31 July 2021. In other words, you don’t have to pay anything – Standard Bank will. The goal is to raise R 500 000 by the end of August 2021.