The Festival of the Soil

The Festival of the Soil was a country-wide festival held in 1968, seeking to address the problem of soil erosion in South Africa.

The Festival

The festival formed part of the South African Government's response to the worsening problem of soil degradation and erosion and took the form of a country-wide programme of open-air events, pageants, floats, and festivals held by cities and rural towns in late March and early April in 1968. These events culminated in a ceremony held at the foot of Jan van Riebeeck's statue in Cape Town on 6 April 1968.

Given the extent and urgency of the problem of soil erosion, the Government had stated that the Festival would be an inclusive event aimed at involving all South Africans. Sadly, this did not turn out to be the case, for it was held within the rigid confines of the apartheid regime, with its main focus and resources aimed at whites, which completely sidelined African, Coloured and Indian communities.

In view of this approach, the Festival simply followed the pattern of the 1952 Van Riebeeck Tercentenary Festival. As a result the soil conservation message of the Festival was largely subsumed under and subordinate to, the political priorities and ultimate ideological aims (i.e. nationalistic and political), which drove the National Party Government at that time. This particular slant is reflected in the way in which the political and cultural authorities of the day used patriotic ritual, spectacle and symbolism to convey their message.

Sources

Festival of the Soil, Nigel, Programme for 27 March 1968

Festival of the Soil, Vredenburg, Programme for 3 April 1968

Festival of the Soil, Cape Town, Programme for 6 April 1968

Farieda Khan. 2023. "Festival of the Soil, 1968: Pageantry, Patriotism and Politics in the Soil Conservation Sector in late 1960s South Africa". Paper for the Assessing Colonial Soil Science in Africa and its Legacy. An Informal Workshop held by the University of Nottingham, England, 8 September 2023[1]

Veld Trust, Special Edition on the Festival of the Soil, July 1968.

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