Thoughts after the National Arts Festival

7 Jul 2025

,The National Arts Festival is over and I feel full after what has been a rewarding and engaging (though at times challenging) experience. There have been so many conversations and reflections that need time to percolate, but here are some initial thoughts on the festival:

From an ASSITEJ SA point of view, we have been able to support our members to present 19 productions for children and young people with a range of diverse styles and content, aimed at audiences from 2-20 years of age. Families were able to navigate the festival successfully to find work for family, child and teen audiences that was thought-provoking, engaging, and world-expanding. Children were able to engage with artists on stage and in workshops and activations. There were 5 Ovation awards from amongst this work for young audiences, and a great deal of positive feedback, which we will be collating and reflecting on over the next few days and weeks. We are grateful to the festival staff, the technical team, the venue team, all the artists who joined our Family Fare and Youth Fare programmes, and to all who contributed to making this a rich and worthwhile experience for us at ASSITEJ SA, including our own staff and volunteers.

The four collectives that were on the programme this year have all hummed: Spark in the Dark, TX theatre, 031 and of course ASSITEJ SA Family/Youth Fare, provided exceptional programming, support to artists and audiences, and collaborative environments in which people could thrive. Renewing this model of collectives (previously pioneered by The Edge and others) is definitely a very positive addition to the post-COVID festival.

From an audience point of view, it was clear that while audiences were perhaps smaller than we remember, they were certainly no less enthusiastic. While people may have less disposable income due to the current economic climate, there was nevertheless a core audience deeply interested in the work, and thankfully ticket prices were kept manageably low. The initiative of allowing artists free pass for entry into productions is a positive development in many ways, allowing artists to see one another’s work and learn from it – one of the key roles of the festival. However, it remains to be seen whether this approach will have a significant negative impact on the box office, given that often the audiences for productions at NAF are indeed other artists…

The festival is not only about productions. It is perhaps the greatest opportunity in the year for connection with others in our industry, pulling voices from every province and every part of the industry. It was heartening therefore to have several opportunities to engage with fellow creatives in debate and discussion around the festival, its legacy and its future. I want to commend the festival board and team for their openness to hearing the voices of all those involved. The inclusion of several open dialogue sessions linked to the Jobs Fund and other opportunities to share ideas and concerns with the festival, its board, and some of its advisory council indicated a commendable openness to listening and learning.

In one of these conversations we were asked to think about what a National Arts Festival should be, and I would like to speak to some of the key elements that I believe are essential.
1. A barometer of the arts
The first is that the National Arts Festival should be a barometer of the country’s artistic life and expression at this time. It is a moment to take the pulse of the nation, to hear what people are needing to speak about, and to experience the multiplicity of creative ways in which they express themselves. The Open Fringe is an incredibly important part of this, as its free access model allows the conversation to be determined from bottom up, and not to be diluted by political or other interests.

Having said this, of course we understand that there are many restrictions and complications to participation in the fringe, and so funding for the fringe festival as a whole would be a very welcome addition to the festival landscape. If fringe artists were able to source some kind of basic support to cover transport and accommodation, for example, this would reduce significantly the cost of bringing work to the National Arts Festival. It would allow for a greater multiplicity of voices, and give artists a basis from which they are able to attract other support for their work.

Personally, I don’t believe that the Fringe should be fully funded from the festival’s side, because it is important that artists realise that their work needs to, on some level, be sustainable. But knowing that there was some possible measure of indirect support would be a huge step in ensuring equal access to resources.

So – if the festival is a barometer of the state of the nation, then what was this year’s festival saying to us? We saw a number of plays dealing with unfinished business; issues of colonial and apartheid crimes never dealt with fully (Behind van Vuuren’s farm, Molora, Born Today- Yesterday) and issues of legacies remembered and forgotten (Tiro’s Toughloop Testimonies, A Childhood in Chalk, ingoma yoHadi, June 16th Re-Imagined, Lowe’s Children, |Naeb/Naelstring, Battle of Lurwayizo). There were also a number of pieces dealing with GBV from a range of perspectives and genres (isilwane Esimyama, Bakumnka Bonke, Dusk to Dawn, Sullied, Umbhobho – the Red Pipe). One of these was “The Confession”, a startling piece of work with a precocious 11 year old talent, whose performance moved and chilled us. In addition, pieces like the Ovation-award winning “Mqambi weNyembezi Vuka”, and “My Long-Lost Father” spoke about the need for male role models. Another major theme across the festival was mental health (Solitude, Echoes of Silence, and Ingcambhu Mental Health Awareness, amongst others). These plays bravely explored taboo subjects in creative and compelling ways.

It was interesting to see some excellent plays for young audiences dealing with serious topics. “Serurubele” was a refreshing and poignant approach to the subject of death and loss for young children, handled with lightness and gentleness by writer/performer, Selloane Mokuku. The production of “Umbhobho – The Red Pipe” deserves to be seen in every school. Talented young performers grappled with the issue of teachers’ predatory behaviour towards learners and made a strong point about this, through committed performances and thoughtful structuring.

The Curated Programme held some real gems. These included great performances from the archive, like the two productions from Mandela Bay Theatre Complex, “The Island” and “Sizwe Banzi is Dead”. These re-imaginings of the original classics resulted in sold-out shows that gave many new audiences an opportunity to experience the visionary work of Athol Fugard, John Kani and Winston Ntshona through fresh eyes.

There were a couple of exceptional international works on the programme; “Magic Maids” and The Talent stood out as being particularly thought-provoking and engaging. There was also a rich representation of new, local work with the excellent and chilling “Breakfast with Mugabe” directed by Calvin Ratladi and the powerful “Bridling” written by Nadia Davids, amongst others.

There have been calls for more provincial involvement in the festival, and I think that this would certainly be beneficial. Those provinces like North West, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape that energetically promote work from their provinces, are making it possible for many artists to access the festival who might otherwise not have done so. However, there are issues with this approach, one of which is that it could mean a more politicised or curated fringe, if the provinces take up all the space. The notion of provincial festivals to incubate or select work for National Arts Festival or equally to showcase work back in the province after the festival, would be a useful element within the festival ecosystem, but should not replace the open Fringe. We need to protect the fringe as a space for freedom of speech and freedom of creativity, while providing support for those who often risk everything to express themselves on this platform.
1. A Marketplace for the Industry
A National Arts Festival must give opportunities for artists to be able to pitch and present their work to producers both locally and internationally, in order to secure work beyond the festival.

For the marketplace to work properly, we need to do more to encourage local and international producers to attend. The festival has had a legacy of international collaborations, residencies, producer meetings, etc. There were times when the state theatres would scour the festival for new voices and pick up productions for presentation in their spaces. The historical relationship to the other international Fringe festivals was also one that held a lot of value for artists, but sadly is no longer present in the same way.

While the festival does not serve to the same extent as an international showcase, there are still some international producers present. Conversations happen around touring beyond the festival into theatres, festivals, or international spaces. This is crucial as it provides a rationale for artists bringing their work to the festival.

There is much that can be done to encourage international producers to attend the festival and to make it easier or more attractive for them to do so. And there is much learning that can be drawn on to create this exchange in ways that will work in the current paradigm. It must be understood that internationally festivals are changing. People are no longer looking simply for touring productions, they’re looking for longer-term collaborations, sustainable engagement, relationships and connection. But given these emerging priorities, I think there is ample space within the festival for these to be pursued.

The introduction of the Jobs fund and the consortium of festivals involved, is a great step in this direction, allowing for commissioned productions to have a life beyond NAF and for greater collaboration to take place between festivals in SA.

The Ovation Awards given to Fringe productions are of importance as part of this process of opportunity-seeking. They serve as a mechanism of recognition that is very useful for artists in prolonging the life of their productions and building professional credibility. Given that we don’t have a five-star review system as happens in some parts of the world, the Ovations serve as a measure of endorsement that is useful for artists in finding more funding and taking their work onwards.

The festival is always a melting pot of artists from every corner of the country. We come together at this one time of the year to see one another’s work, share ideas, and connect. These connections generate opportunity and launch or progress professional careers. Personally, I have experienced and seen an enormous amount of generosity, collaboration and engagement at the 2025 NAF and believe that many opportunities for future work have been brokered here.
1. Artist and Industry Development
The National Arts Festival has always been about learning, by default. Young artists, fresh from university, sometimes still at university, bring their work to the festival and quickly learn the festival’s parameters, find their audiences, and fail or fly in what is often an expensive learning exercise. Equally, the technical team of the festival is made up largely of students, in the process of learning their craft. The opportunities for development within this context are tremendous.

Mentoring of artists prior to coming to the Fringe should be a priority. We need more focused support around being at a festival, managing one’s presence at a festival, creating the right kind of audience engagement tools, understanding the geography of the festival, knowing who one can reach out to in times of emergency, etc. There are plenty of professionals within the festival ecosystem who would be happy to support in this way.

ASSITEJ SA already does this through our Family Fare and Youth Fare programming. We offer our members support in the process of applying for funding and of bringing their work to the festival. If they require support with finding accommodation and transport, we are able to assist them in this regard. We advise them in terms of where and how they should be creating their marketing content, and we assist them in amplifying their messaging. We promote them as part of the collective, which allows for cross-marketing and incentivises mutual support and collaboration. But we cannot do this work alone.

It was fantastic to see the initiative to offer master classes with John Kani at the festival. There are many other individuals who come to the festival who could equally be providing support, training and insights to new artists entering the ecosystem for the first time. There is also a potential synergy between the NAF and the community arts centre networks that are forming in each of the provinces as part of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture funding model. These networks could support their members to better navigate the festival and ensure more cost-effective and productive engagements.

The training and development that can be done before the festival, as well as the opportunities that exist at the festival can be strengthened through partnerships and collaborations.
1. Audience development
The festival is a major audience access, development and engagement opportunity. As the National Arts Festival it should (and does) attract audiences from all parts of the country and indeed, further afield. This audience is not the same as it was 10 years ago, or even pre-Covid. The audience is now 67 percent under the age of 40, according to the 2024 statistics. But this is also an audience with less disposable income, so keeping ticket prices low is really important.

However, other schemes for attendance are equally important. The Schools festival, while still in existence, has dwindled from around 1,000 school children attending from around the country to 150 attending in 2025. Historically this has been a space that many artists claim as the primary impetus for their careers in the arts, providing young people with a vision of what the artistic landscape of South Africa is about and incentivising them to become part of it or to continue to engage with it into the future, as audiences. We need to work to increase the size and scope of the Schools festival within NAF, and there are ways to do this which ASSITEJ SA would be eager to brainstorm.

But, of course, it is not just about young audiences. How do we support audiences of all ages, from the city of Makhanda? How do we support audiences from the province of the Eastern Cape? How do we support audiences from the rest of South Africa to attend the festival? And how can we make their experience as positive and cost-effective as possible?

We have all seen festival prices increase over the years, particularly in respect of transport, accommodation and restaurant food. It has become extremely expensive to attend the festival and more people will be able to benefit from the NAF if more cost-effective accommodation or transport was provided. This should include initiatives such as the township-based B&Bs which in the past were so successful, but this will also mean a significant investment into the infrastructure of the town which has to the responsibility of the municipality, amongst others. Making the Hopper buses free for all to use has been an excellent initiative, but the routes must include venues such as the outlying Black Power station, with its rich and vibrant programming, as was pointed out by curator, Xolile Madinda, to be truly inclusive.

Mike van Graan’s suggestion to further develop the touring routes to and from the festival to increase potential earnings would be a very positive initiative. Traveling by road and taking work to a number of different small towns on the way would help build an audience and generate excitement around the festival. Should provinces become more involved, they could each plan and support a route to the festival that would ensure that their province was able to see work as it moved to and from the festival.
1. A National barometer needs national support
The lack of national support for the festival this year is unacceptable in my view. As one of the premier events in the country that supports the arts ecosystem, and that reaps millions of rands economic benefit for the town, the province, artists and the entire CCI ecosystem, the National Arts Festival should have a secure base of funding from the Department of Sports, Arts, and Culture. If the festival knew that it had secure funding from national government, it would be able to plan longer-term and bring other funders to the party more easily.

Given that this is currently not the case, I think the festival team has done a superb job of finding innovative ways of funding the festival and the broader ecosystem through initiatives such as the Jobs Fund and the Social Employment Fund, which has contributed significantly to the town of Makanda and to the capacity of the town to host a festival at all. They have also created additional outlets for the festival in work done for Mandela Bay Theatre Complex and ASSITEJ International, amongst others.

It is very easy for the festival to bear the brunt of criticism from all sides for not meeting expectations, when those expectations are based on a memory of a festival from a completely different context and economic structure. Unfair or uninformed criticism can tarnish the reputation of the festival, and can significantly hinder its recovery.

I have seen first-hand the extraordinary dedication of the board, many of whom are situated in Makanda and care deeply about the town, the festival, and its contribution to South Africa as a whole. The festival team works against great odds, and despite some extreme challenges, including the lateness and paucity of confirmed funding compared to previous editions, and the lack of infrastructural capacity of the town, there is goodwill, generosity, and care in abundance.

I can only salute the festival team for their tenacity, creativity, and sheer hard work. I think the artistic community needs to be careful that we do not, in criticizing the festival, destroy the very thing that has been a generative engine within the creative and cultural economy for more than 51 years. This is a national resource and a beacon of artistic freedom of which we can all feel proud.

Let us bring our views, ideas, and energy to bear on the festival and find ways to contribute to a shared collective vision that will ensure that the festival does not just survive but also thrives into the next 50 years.
– Yvette Hardie, Director, ASSITEJ South Africa