Students protested the forced use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. The police violently suppressed the protest, leading to hundreds of deaths and galvanizing the international anti-apartheid movement.

After three years of successful festivals, there was some debate as to whether another would be possible in 1977. Economic recession and petrol rationing, to say nothing of a tumultuous political situation, had led to financially challenging times across the country. The programme’s opening note, by Professor Guy Butler, explains the motivation to forge ahead: “The current recession and the advent of petrol rationing caused the Festivals Committee and the Council of the Foundation to question whether the Festival should not be abandoned until the economy recovers, but they concluded that it would be short sighted to lose the momentum…Read More

With a naming sponsorship from Sharp Electronics, the 1978 Sharp Festival of the Arts was able to recapture some of its earlier ambition. The Fine Arts took a front seat, as one of the Monument Building’s primary functions – as an exhibition space – was able to be fully realised for the first time. Curated by Linda Goodman of the Goodman Gallery, the Monument’s galleries were officially launched with an exhibition that featured the likes of Leonard Matsoso, Cecil Skotnes, Andrew Verster and Raymond van Niekerk. The Rehearsal Room – still a popular venue today –housed lectures delivered by Cecil…Read More

1980 was perhaps the first time that the then-named Five Roses Festival of the Arts had a programme that so closely resembled the structure of the National Arts Festival today. The curated programme was filled with Classical Music, Jazz, Opera, Fine Arts Theatre, and Film, and with artists who have continued to make regular appearances on our stages to the present day. Waiting for Godot, to name but one example, played at the Rhodes University Theatre, with a phenomenal cast that included the likes of John Kani, Winston Ntshona and Pieter-Dirk Uys. Jazzart, South Africa’s oldest dance company, made their…Read More

From the time of its inception, the curated programme has always been organised around a central theme, idea or artistic thread. With the guidance and vision of the Artistic Director, these central ideas guide the selection and curation of work, culminating in a programme that feels fresh and distinct each year, and reflects the artistic achievements of the past, contemporary creative innovations of the present, and visions for the future.  In 1982, the central idea of the Curated programme was The Beginnings and Growth of 19th Century Romanticism. In particular, the music of Beethoven was a focal point, with renditions…Read More

Affectionately called the Festival of Celebration within the arts community, the 1984 Festival marked the 10th anniversary of the National Arts Festival. It was also the beginning of a long and mutually beneficial partnership with Standard Bank, who took over as the primary sponsors. Now known as The Standard Bank National Festival of the Arts, the scale of the Festival programme increased dramatically, both to celebrate the achievement of a decade’s worth of dedication to the Arts, and as a result of how popular the festival had become with artists and audience members alike.  In tribute to its origins and…Read More

1986 was a year marked by social and political turmoil in South Africa. Amidst the collapse of the Rand, protest action against racial segregation laws, and increasing levels of violence between the state and civilians, the Festival programme was arranged around the theme ‘Encounters’. Although the Festival has always striven to remain apolitical itself, we have always stood for justice, equality, human rights, and open access, and the ‘Encounters’ programme attempted to create a space that welcomed and celebrated all voices. The introductory notes from several key players in the organisation demonstrate the challenges faced, and opportunities seized, by the…Read More

With South Africa still being governed under a State of Emergency, the continued celebration of the National Arts Festival was a complex matter. Without wishing any festivities to appear insensitive to, or detached from, the immense hardships being experienced around the country, the Festival was mindful of the opportunities that it was able to provide – not just artistically and financially, but by providing a platform for diversity and free expression.  In introducing the 1988 programme, the Chairman of the Festival Committee wrote:   “Grahamstown, because of its topography and the plight of the less privileged in the depressed Eastern Province,…Read More

If art is a mirror for society, then the 1989 National Arts Festival reflected a collective certainty that change in the country’s political regime was imminent. Although the Festival is apolitical, this year’s programme contains hints of the democratic future that lay just around the corner. For the first time, contributors to the programme referenced the post-Apartheid era as a certainty, and the Festival celebrated its ability to provide a platform for free speech, open discourse, and continued meditations on the past and future. Standard Bank continued as a main sponsor and Dr Conrad Strauss, in his Festival Message, wrote:…Read More

At the start of the new decade, the National Arts Festival naturally reflected on its growth over the preceding fifteen years. In his Festival Message, Professor Alan Crump – Chairman of the Festival Committee – reminded festival goers that the Fringe had begun with just five events in 1978! There were 21 events in the 1982 Fringe programme, and by 1989 had over 330 events. That year saw the sale of 60 000 Fringe tickets, an increase of 44%, while the Main Festival’s ticket sales grew by 32%. Such promising growth and scale placed the Festival unequivocally amongst international events of…Read More

Novelist Nadine Gordimer won the Nobel, using her platform to speak out against apartheid and highlighting the role of literature in the liberation struggle.

The assassination of popular ANC and SACP leader Chris Hani nearly derailed the peace process, but Nelson Mandela’s subsequent plea for calm helped secure the transition.

1994 was a year of incredible celebration, not just for the Festival, but for the country as a whole. Earlier that year, South Africa had held the first general election in which all races and ethnicities were able to participate equally. Though the Apartheid regime had been coming to an end for several years, these elections signified both a definitive ending, and a hopeful new beginning. This sense of celebration, reflection, and reconciliation naturally carried over into both the National Arts Festival’s official programme and the Fringe. As the Festival Committee’s Chairman expressed: “Over the past few months this country…Read More

 In August of 1994, the 1820 Settler’s Monument had been devastated by a fire which left much of the building seriously damaged. Extensive renovations were undertaken, including a redesign of the Guy Butler Theatre, and in May of 1996 the building was re-dedicated by then-President Nelson Mandela. Parts of the old fire damaged walls were left in place, and can still be spotted by sharp-eyed Festival goers today! But the President’s visit was more than a moment of great pride for the Festival team. It represented the growing sense that the National Arts Festival had reached a point of national…Read More

 Despite being well into its third decade, the 1998 Festival boasted a number of exciting firsts! On the Curated Drama programme there were no fewer than eight plays written by South Africans. Of the total of 11 productions, seven were premieres. Brazilian actress and playwright Denise Stoklos made her first appearance in our country, as did Pulitzer Prize winning dramatist August Wilson. The State Theatre Ballet, now in its 35th year, came to Makhanda for the very first time, and Brett Bailey brought Ipi Zombi. Elsewhere in the programme were more familiar faces:, Reza de Wet and Marthinus Basson staged…Read More