Katlego Sekhu

As the National Arts Festival (NAF) celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, Brenda Sisane had a chat with the festival’s artistic director, Rucera Seethal to discuss the significance of this milestone and what attendees can look forward to this year.
Surviving Covid
Speaking about surviving the uncertainty of COVID-19, Seethal noted that, like everyone else, they used online mediums to connect with audiences without really knowing what the future held.
“We did an online festival without knowing what it took. It was a huge journey to re-invent this thing. The position we took was that we were going to give it shape in terms of how artists were responding to that provocation. Artists went online to find ways to continue to share music. It was a collaborative process with artists.”
Possibilities of growth
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, Seethal highlighted that it also presented new growth opportunities.
“The COVID crisis forced us into a place of finding ways of working together and experiencing each other. It is also about how we live online. The range of options and possibilities has increased phenomenally.”
Seethal noted that, in a world where people have endless choices, there is a growing interest in curation.
“The range of possibilities has made it even more important for festivals and programs that are more bespoke and specific.”
She also spoke about what people can expect from the festival and much more.
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