SA: Arts Alive announces 2020 programme

The festival kicked off on 13 September with the Jazz on the Lake virtual concert featuring Shekhinah, Ami Faku and Zoë Modiga, Andile Yenana, Thandi Ntuli, Blaq Diamond and Mandisi Dyantyis.

The remaining festival activities scheduled for September include networking events, webinars and workshops, including Perspectives on the Visual Art Market Platforms (17 September), The Meaning and Direction of the Arts in the Post COVID-19 Era (22 September), Beat Makers Market (27 September), and Preserving Arts, Heritage and the Culture of Music (28 September).

“This year the entire festival is going digital and will be presented to a virtual audience for the first time in its 28-year history,” the organisers said. “The festival has a great line-up of events that are set to mesmerise audiences. This year the festival has designed an exciting series of webinars and workshops that will be set to tackle a number of pertinent issues within the creative industries.”

Preserving Arts, Heritage and the Culture of Music is a workshop that will be facilitated by South African jazz guitarist Billy Monama. It will focus on South African heritage music styles such as marabi, jazz, kwela, mbaqanga and maskandi, as well as the basics of the music business. The starting time for the workshop will be announced soon.

The Meaning and Direction of the Arts in the Post COVID-19 Era webinar will be facilitated by Arts, Culture and Heritage director Vuyisile Mshudulu. The dialogue will feature Vuyani Gregory Maqoma, Monageng Motshabi, Napo Masheane and Mpho Molepo.

“With the arts having been one of the hardest-hit sectors of the economy, but also most disrupted socio-spiritual function, the creation and creative processes of artists are highly influenced by environmental factors and the experiences of the creatives themselves,” Arts Alive said. “There has also been a great outcry for relief exposing the reliance of artists and other practitioners within the arts on funding, grants and economic opportunities. The webinar will reflect on whether artists had any form of readiness for the disruptive nature of COVID-19.”

Meanwhile, The Beat Makers Market is an networking session geared towards artists and producers meeting to build successful business relationships. The event will include beat battles, beat auctions, performances, workshops, panel discussions, live product demonstrations and virtual exhibition stalls. It will broadcast here from 12pm to 9pm.

Other upcoming Arts Alive music-related activities include the South African Legends Concert (2 and 11 October), Urban Clash Bands (16 October), Soweto Art Week Hip Hop Night (30 October), Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition (4 to 7 November), Imvuselelo Concert (11 November), SA Hip Hop Awards (26 November), Indigenous Gospel (29 November), Yonela Mnana and Vivacious Sounds (1 to 3 December), Seven Colour Sundays Music Meets Food Festival (2 December) and Clash of the Regions (12 December).

View the full 2020 programme here.