Arts Review

Written by: Tiisetso Tlelima

Too often South Africa commemorates its most treasured artists only when they have passed on. This weekend the community of Nieu Bethesda, a little village in the Eastern Cape situated between Middelburg and Graaf-Reinet, breaks this tradition as they celebrate Athol Fugard’s work and his enormous contribution to the development of Mzansi’s arts. Athol Fugard, born in 1932 in Middelburg, is renowned for his political plays which opposed the apartheid regime and his acclaimed novel Tsotsi which was adapted into a screenplay by Gavin Hood. The Fugard festival takes place in Nieu Bethesda from 1 to 4 October. Arts Review caught up with festival director, Idil Sheard, to find out more about the festival.

What is the aim of this festival?
“The aim is to give South Africans a greater appreciation for this South African literary figure, Athol Fugard, a true democrat, who did so much to bring the iniquities of apartheid to the attention of the world and today portrays with the same passion the problems of crime in Victory and HIV/Aids in Coming Home. Secondly, it intends to give the people of the Eastern Cape a realisation of this treasure in our midst and to bring the community together. Thirdly, to make the Afrikaans speaking people more aware of the value of Fugard in Afrikaans. It has been said by academics and others that some plays make more of an impact in Afrikaans than in the original English. Lastly, the festival will give Nieu Bethesda a financial boost.”

Why is the festival taking place in Nieu Bethesda?
“Athol Fugard has a house in Nieu Bethesda and feels so at home in the community that he has used the village and people from here as the background and characters for six of his plays, mostly the more recent ones. He loves the Afrikaans language and seems able to identify with these Afrikaans speaking people. Another important reason is that Fugard’s play The Road to Mecca has given Nieu Bethesda a new life as a small tourist destination. When this play was written in the mid-eighties Fugard was already established and tourists started to look for the Owl House and this triggered off the establishment of eating places and guest houses.”

What makes Athol Fugard different from other South African playwrights?
“Every playwright is unique. Athol Fugard calls himself a regional writer, an Eastern Cape writer, and is greatly admired, almost revered in other parts of the world. He writes in English, but often from the perspective of the Afrikaans speaking person…an Afrikaans ‘story’ and yet his ‘story’ is so universal that he is appreciated in other countries where Boesman and Lena or Buks and Veronica of Valley Song or Andre Huguenet of Exits and Entrances and many others cannot really be known.

Which plays can Athol Fugard fans expect to see at the festival?
“ Hallo en Koebaai, the translation of Hello and Goodbye in Afrikaans and extracts from The Road to Mecca, just to name a few.”

What else does the festival has in-store for festival goers?
“Music by local choirs and musicians; national stars like Lize Beekman and Valiant Swart; workshops and discussions; stalls and exhibitions of paintings, sculptures and ceramics.”

The festival is sponsored by Owl House Foundation, the ATKV, the Karoo Nama Foundation and mostly residents of Nieu Bethesda and Graaf-Reinet.

For more info please visit the festival website on www.fugardfestival.co.za