SA artists paint bleak picture after Covid-ravaged 2020

The rich history and integrity of South Africa’s performing arts sector is on its last legs after a year under Covid-19 restrictions, artists have warned.

The recent closure of the Athol Fugard Theatre and escalating activism from artists have highlighted the often unseen dark reality faced by workers in the traditional arts in SA.

This was according to theatre writer, producer and director George Mhlanguli, an independent artist who has watched his fate and that of others thrown into chaos over the past year.

The government has apparently failed to save thousands whose livelihoods depend on the hundreds of productions and events which were cancelled last year.

Things were difficult even before the pandemic: production house budgets were shrinking and some operations were beginning to shut down as a result of pressures from an already shrinking economy. By the time the pandemic hit, the writing was on the wall for hundreds of jobs in the industry.

However, this could never have prepared Mhlanguli for the havoc Covid-19 would unleash on his life and that of thousands of writers, directors performers and technical staff, who would soon compete for the dwindling resources available to the industry or faced months of uncertainty and stone-cold poverty.

“People packed their bags and went back home because there was no work and nothing to sustain them.

“Those who stayed were moving to cheaper places or finding alternatives because they could no longer afford rent,” said Mhlanguli, describing the first few months under lockdown in Cape Town.

The National Arts Council (NAC) has been the target of a nationwide campaign by performing artists to account for funds promised to struggling artists during the pandemic.

Campaigns such as #Iam4theArts have highlighted the plight of thousands of workers in the performing arts industry who have been left out of the national agenda to save livelihoods from the ravages of Covid-19.

simnikiweh@citizen.co.za

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