To mark the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the National Arts Festival, the programme opened with an address from a very special patron:

“As patron of the 1999 twenty-fifth anniversary Standard Bank  National Arts Festival, it is a pleasure to welcome festival-goers to Grahamstown.

Over the years, the arts have played a critical part in bringing together South Africans of all social, economic and community groupings. Under the auspices of the Grahamstown Foundation, the National Arts Festival has grown from small beginnings in 197 4 into one of the best-known arts festivals in the world. The organisers have pursued their vision with energy and consistency.

This year’s event is a special landmark and performers have come to Grahamstown from all over the world. It is heartening to note that so many are from other countries in Africa. The international ties that the Festival is forging are part of South Africa’s new emergence on the world stage.

My congratulations to all those concerned in the growth and development of the Festival. I wish them many more years of success in promoting the arts, which we all understand and respect as a binding element in the new and evolving South Africa.” – Nelson Mandela