Erecting a monumental South African flag in the name of patriotism is a waste of money
The national department of Sports, Arts and Culture has been in the news again - not because it is introducing proper arts education in schools, not because it building new provincial art museums and galleries, not because it is building community art centres, not because it is implementing strategies for audience development for theatres, galleries and museums BUT because it has proposed possibility for an installation of a “monumental” flag, 100m in height, to serve as a national landmark and tourist destination to the tune of R22m.
Defending this decision despite the public outcry, Minister Nathi Mthethwa said “And it’s disingenuous to say it's not important, if it's not important, your sister organisation AfriForum wouldn't be in court today fighting for the old flag. So I think we must clarify this thing that we have an obligation to transform the heritage landscape and will do just that.”
The national department misses opportunities to get involved in social cohesion and patriotism because the officials hardly attend theatre, gallery and museum shows locally. The art and cultural sector is always at the centre of social cohesion and the department should get involved as this will improve their strategies for social cohesion campaigns. How is a giant flag going to help the arts and cultural sector and turn South Africa into a cohesive country? Why is it that every time the government officials want to loot they do that in the name of tourism and patriotism? The proposed R22m will be worth putting into training of art teachers in schools across the country or simply be given to community arts development initiatives across the country.
This brings me back to the discussion I had with Roelf Matlala (playwright, theatre director and actor) about the proposition by Limpopo government, through the state of the province address by premier Mr. Stanley Mathabatha in February 2022, to build the long awaited provincial theatre at Bakone Malapa Air Museum to the tune of R123m. I should furnish my reader with more information about the distance between the city centre and Bakone Malapa which is 10km. Should the theatre be constructed, as the premier indicated that ‘Polokwane Municipality is at the advance stage with the process of Township Establishment at Bakone Malapa which is earmarked as the site for this project,’ then the theatre will not cater to the ordinary people but for purposes other than community of artists. Theatre should be built within the city centre where it could be accessed easily by general public. Already it’s difficult for people to attend functions at the Polokwane Library Auditorium at night because they have no transportation.
Suffice to cite that Mr. Stanley Mathabatha first mentioned the Provincial Theatre in his 2016 SOPA where it seemed he felt the pressure from the Limpopo artists about their need for theatre. He mentioned that feasibility studies would be carried out. In the following SOPA address of 2017 he admitted that the theatre will be constructed at Cnr Oost and Grobbler Street inner city. Again in 2018 he only said “I have instructed the MEC for Sports, Arts and Culture to expedite the process for the realisation of the much-awaited Limpopo Provincial Theatre.’ Only to be told three years later that the ‘much awaited Limpopo Provincial Theatre’ will be constructed at Bakone Malapa. It seems it will take a long time for Limpopo province to have the provincial theatre as it never happen in the two terms of Mr. Mathabatha’s tenure. Artists are not taken seriously in this country and the empty promises are made without the leaders being held accountable.
The sense of distance and alienation existing between cultural workers and politicians, in this case government officials, creates problematic outlook within the arts sector. The officials within government end up not knowing what is going on within the sector where artists are working and struggling to tell our stories as custodians of national heritage. The process of social cohesion can be achieved through creative processes such as music, theatre, poetry and visual arts because creative sector an effective outlet for exploration of issues with environments where people feel safe enough to part with their vulnerability. To build a theatre away from the city centre and in the middle of nowhere doesn’t serve the purpose the theatre should benefit the community let alone erecting a gigantic flag in the name of building a cohesive country when the artists are starving and at times dying of depression from lack of employment that was worsened by Covid19 pandemic.
Comments
Post a Comment