Reflections on Covering the South African National Arts Festival
BY EMMALY WIEDERHOLT
At the end of the National Arts Festival, which I have had the honor of attending and covering for Cue Newspaper, I was asked to write an editorial reflecting on my experience. Here is my response.
Festival Posters
As a non-South African covering South Africa’s National Arts Festival, it has been fascinating to watch how this country wrestles with its own history and mythology. Every country makes political and social art, but here it feels particularly charged. Seeing and covering works like CARGO: Precious, 20/20 Visions, Ubu and the Truth Commission and Marikana the Musical has taught me about not just South Africa’s history, but about how South Africa tells itself its history.
Winston Churchill said, “History is written by the victors.” Perhaps he should have said, “History is written by the artists.” Art can be a magnifying glass or kaleidoscope; it can both clarify and distort. The stories told at this Festival are powerful. They are not easy stories to tell.
As a foreigner, I have felt at times that I am ill-equipped to cover these stories. I have wondered if my presence on this newspaper is presumptuous or even inappropriate. These are not my stories, so who am I to critique them? When reviewing a show with charged content, I have often felt that in criticizing the aesthetics of a piece it might be perceived that I am criticizing the artists themselves, or even worse, its thematic content. I’ve never previously felt that my opinion is illegitimate, but here I feel like the electrical charge might turn into a fuse.
Nevertheless, I have relished in this experience. When friends and family back home ask me about my time here, I will gush. I will tell them how the little town of Grahamstown floods with art of all varieties for eleven days. I will tell them the impossibility of seeing even a tenth of everything there is to see. I will tell them how people camp in the cold just to be a part. I will tell them about little shows on the Fringe performing their hearts out to a small audience and big shows on the Main filled with adoring fans. I will tell them that for eleven days there is in this world a daily arts newspaper that gets read and talked about and critiqued. I will go on and on, realizing the impossibility of imparting through words the essence of my experience.
From my humble perspective, this is a special time for South Africa’s artists. The stories are still living, still being told. So whether or not I should be covering this Festival, I am glad and honoured to be here.
One Response to “Reflections on Covering the South African National Arts Festival”
I hope we can invite you to our dance festival: Dance Umbrella in 2015 which will take place from February 28 -March 15, 2015.
Cargo; Precious was one of our productions which are also presenting at Arts Alive in September.
Thank you
Kind regards
Georgina Thomson
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