August 21, 2003
By Bongani Majola
WITH the prestigious International Arts Alive Festival barely a month away, the City of Johannesburg has announced it will pump in R6-million for the event.
"This will ensure, not only the festival's success, but confirm our strongly held view that Johannesburg is indeed the cultural hub of the African continent," Executive Mayor Amos Masondo said at the festival launch in Newtown this week.
Organisers unveiled the list of artists that will be gracing the stages around Johannesburg. Festival draw card, US R&B outfit Dru Hill, featuring diminutive lead singer and dancer Sisqo, headlines the bill.
A packed programme, 26 artists from Africa north of the Limpopo will be performing along with US musicians jazz diva Patti Austen, hit R&B group All 4 One and, for those whose romantic memories stretch a bit farther, romantic ballad singer Lenny Williams.
"This year's festival," said Zanusi Brand Solutions manager Nomahlubi Simamane, "is full of cutting-edge innovative activities. Although the festival is centred on music, the programme features other arts such as poetry, raves, film and dance." Exhibitions, such as fashion, painting and photographic will also be held at various venues in Newtown and Soweto.
Zanusi Brand Solutions is part of the consortium that won the tender to set up the festival after the City of Johannesburg handed it over to professional organisers last year.
Simamane stressed that certain art forms were seen to belong to the south of the city. "In celebrating our cultural diversity, the festival will take the wonderful art forms to Johannesburg's northern suburbs. To this end, we will make Zoo Lake the centre of free activities and take the Mapantsulas right into the Sandton Centre."
One of the crowd pulling events was the rave. "Raving," said member of the consortium Zinzi Mandela, "highlights our unique cultural diversity, and despite the limitations of time and finance we guarantee Joburg and the broader public a memorable experience."
Quipped the mayor: "As a person who is neither too old nor too young I am happy to hear that there will also be rave."
Organisers were aware, said Mandela, that "whatever starts as a cultural trend in Johannesburg eventually spills over to the nation, hence we want Arts Alive to set the trend".
The festival would also incorporate events taking place in Johannesburg in September as part of the national Heritage Month, "including plays at the Market Theatre and the Standard Bank Arena art exhibition", Mandela added.
While some events would be held in satellite venues including the Dome in Northgate and Sandton, the main Arts Alive village was in Newtown and it would be there, according to organisers, that the City of Johannesburg would showcase its successful regeneration projects.
The International Arts Alive festival runs from 17 September to 28 September.
For a full calendar of events, visit the Arts Alive website
