The 2020 National Digital Arts Festival
The festival will combine both free to view and pay to view options. It will run between the 25th of June and the 5th of July. The shows will include artworks, augmented reality, dance, music and theatre. There will also be a series of critical thinking platforms which will include podcasts, webinars and workshops. There will be opportunities to support the artists through click to view options.
There are obviously some challenges with deciding how well the works will translate onto film. The festival has partnerships with technological companies with they will tap into to ensure that the works are presented in the best possible light. With lockdown, all those responsible for the success of the show rely on computer technologies to meet and discuss how to accomplish a virtual festival that is as good as the real thing.
The shows will go live on the National Arts Fest website and on social media. All difficulties come with a silver lining. None less so than the virtual festival. In cyberspace there are no boundaries. So, there are opportunities for a wider spread of African artists from across the continent. It is also possible for people from across the globe to see the work of these talented artists from the comfort of their homes and with no travel expenses.
Spare a thought for the crafters and small businesses of Makhanda though. They depend every year on the influx of people into the city. They’ll lose out this year, but at least the spirit of the biggest arts festival in Africa lives on in the virtual world to return, we trust, to Makhanda next year.