Young women from across Gauteng will showcase their newly acquired skills in scriptwriting and directing at the inaugural Gauteng Basetsana Women’s Arts Festival.
The two-day arts festival will take place at the Duduza Multipurpose Center, east of Kathorus, from Saturday 18 to 19 February. After a successful launch and introduction of the Basetsana Scriptwriting and Directing programme in 2016, the festival offers the young women a chance to be selected to perform at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival in September.
An initiative of the Gauteng Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, the festival is part of its community theatre programmed, dubbed “ishashalazi” (the Stage). The programme is aimed at getting women to also play a leading role in the arts.
In 2016 a total of 60 young women were given an opportunity to learn more about poetry, theater scriptwriting and directing, among other skills. “The development of women, especially the young ones, cannot be delayed any further. If we are serious about developing a nation, we should not dare postpone their empowerment in all sectors, including the arts,” explained MEC Faith Mazibuko.
“Following the successful launch of the programme, the upcoming festival is about celebrating efforts to empower women, by giving them a voice to begin to tell stories and the stories of other women and their triumphs and struggles,” explained Mazibuko, who added that theatre and the arts should not just feature women as actresses, make-up artists or assistants.
She said women need to also be at the forefront of writing, directing and developing new story content about other women through books, poetry, film and theatre.
Entry to the festival is free and open to all. Proceedings will start at 9.30am over the two days.
