50 years for South Africa’s National Arts Festival
The National Arts Festival will launch this Thursday, 20 June and this year the festival will be celebrating 50 years.
It’s been an incredible 50 years for the National Arts Festival, with 2024 marking five decades of creative freedom and definitive South African art.
The festival will run from 20 to 30 June in the small town of Makhanda (formerly Grahamstown) in the Eastern Cape, which has become the annual destination for established artists, new and emerging talent and the network of producers, writers and creators who make and present works on South Africa’s stages.
“It’s an honour to be staging this Festival fifty years after its first curtain was raised. Despite an always changeable, and often precarious, environment for the arts, the National Arts Festival has prevailed and evolved.” National Arts Festival CEO, Monica Newton said in a statement.
“This is testament to those who have steered the ship and our steadfast partners over the decades, but also reflects the extraordinary tenacity artists have brought to this Festival and country. 2024 is a significant year for our country in so many ways, and the National Arts Festival is pleased to be part of the celebrations of our 30 years of democracy, and to be contemplating what the next decade holds for us and the community we serve.” Newton added.
What’s on offer at the National Arts Festival in 2024?
This year’s festival promises to be one for the books, with almost 300 works and events on offer. Here’s what you can expect:
- From the 2023 Standard Bank Young Artists:
- Zoë Modiga (music),
- Darren English (jazz),
- MoMo Matsunyane (theatre),
- Stephané Conradie (visual art),
- Angel-Ho (performance art) and
- Lorin Sookool (dance)
- Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse will return to play live,
- Sello Maake KaNcube will perform The Suit,
- Napo Masheane will present Thaba Bosui: The Musical and,
- Brett Bailey will premiere The Stranger, with music composed by Nkosenathi Koela.
- 2024’s jazz programme will feature:
- the South African National Jazz Orchestra conducted by Mcoy Mrubatha,
- Eastern Cape’s Asanda Mqiki.
- and the National Youth Jazz Festival, which will see a line-up of experienced musicians such as Kesivan Naidoo, Sisonke Xonti and Siya Charles.