By Bongani Majola
JOHANNESBURG'S Arts Alive International Festival kicks off next month, running for 10 action-packed days, hosting four major international jazz and R&B acts as well as 28 local performers.
Alongside the music, this year's festival will also include poetry, spoken word, film, dance, fashion, painting, photographic exhibitions and workshops conducted by international guests in Newtown and Soweto.
The international event, hosted and sponsored by the City of Johannesburg, is set to reposition the city as the cultural hub of the African continent, according to Zanusi Brand Solutions, the festival organisers.
The festival kicks off on Wednesday 17 September with a yet to be announced jazz diva, followed by the hugely popular Jazz on the Lake at Zoo Lake on Sunday 21 September. Numerous arts activities and events are crammed into the 10 days of the festival, which ends on 28 September.
The biggest challenge this year, according to Zanusi, was the short time they had to organise the event. This was compounded by the "perception that the event was badly managed in the past".
"However," said Zanusi brand manager Nomahlubi Simamane, "we are determined to prove that Arts Alive has a huge role to play in positioning the city as a cultural hub. We have already developed a detailed and exciting three-year business plan."
Although the City ran Arts Alive for many years, the task of organising the annual showcase was outsourced last year to "professionals that are active in the areas of brand strategy development, productions and management of large-scale events". The festival is now run by Zanusi, with InTouch Productions and Zee Zee Promotions. Zanusi won a three-year contract to stage the event.
The company planned to focus on "the fusion of South African, African and international rhythms across the genres of reggae, jazz, R&B, hip hop, soul, maskandi, gospel, rock 'n roll and folk music".
"The emphasis this year is also to collaborate with other events taking place in Johannesburg during Heritage Month, including the Johannesburg Standard Bank Joy of Jazz," Simamane said.
Most of the events will be based at the venues in the "core Arts Alive village at the Newtown Cultural Precinct, drawing people back to the inner city".
The Johannesburg Development Agency, the Gauteng Provincial Government, Business and Arts South Africa, the National Arts Council, Midi Trust and the National Department of Arts and Culture also support the Johannesburg Arts Alive International Festival.
