Mangaung African Cultural Festival - Revision history

Darryl at 08:29, 9 March 2025

2025-03-09T08:29:29Z

Darryl: /* Sources */

2025-03-09T08:27:42Z

Sources

Darryl: /* Return to */

2025-03-09T08:27:19Z

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Darryl: /* Return to */

2025-03-09T08:26:48Z

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Johann van Heerden: /* Early History - 1997 to 2000 */

2014-02-18T15:26:59Z

Early History - 1997 to 2000

Johann van Heerden: /* Early History - 1997 to 2000 */

2014-02-18T15:25:59Z

Early History - 1997 to 2000

Johann van Heerden at 15:21, 18 February 2014

2014-02-18T15:21:30Z

Johann van Heerden: /* Early History - 1997 to 2000 */

2014-02-18T15:19:13Z

Early History - 1997 to 2000

Johann van Heerden: /* Early History - 1997 to 2000 */

2014-02-18T15:14:17Z

Early History - 1997 to 2000

Johann van Heerden: /* Aims */

2014-02-18T15:10:10Z

Aims

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:29, 9 March 2025
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	The Mangaung African Cultural Festival (MACUFE) is held annually in Bloemfontein and it was launched in September 1997 by the provincial government of the Free State, supported by the television channel [[SABC2]].		The Mangaung African Cultural Festival (MACUFE) is held annually in Bloemfontein and it was launched in September 1997 by the provincial government of the Free State, supported by the television channel [[SABC2]].
		+
		+	(The Sesotho name for the capital city of Free State province, Bloemfontein, is Mangaung, meaning “place of cheetahs”.)

	== Mission Statement ==		== Mission Statement ==

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 == Sources ==
-*** ***
+[[Johann van Heerden]] (2008)][http://www.google.co.za/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CCUQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscholar.sun.ac.za%2Fbitstream%2Fhandle%2F10019.1%2F1443%2Fvanheerden_theatre_2008.pdf%3Fsequence%3D1&ei=_egBU77CNYWJhQeE5oCADQ&usg=AFQjCNEWnD1BzeLnFmOV2tvyGLoMyNeT6Q&bvm=bv.61535280,d.Yms]
 == Return to ==

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 == Return to ==
-Return to [[South African Festivals and Competitions]]
+Return to [[South_African_Festivals|South African Festivals and Competitions]]
 Return to [[The ESAT Entries]]
 Return to [[Main Page]]

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 == Return to ==
-Return to [[South African Theatre Venues, Companies, Societies, etc]]
+Return to [[South African Festivals and Competitions]]
 Return to [[The ESAT Entries]]
 Return to [[Main Page]]

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 == Early History - 1997 to 2000 ==
-[[MACUFE]] has been staged annually in the spring since 1997. In the first four years of its existence the Festival had made very little contribution to the South African professional theatre, Afrocentric or other. Its specific aim was cultural, Afro cultural. The main focus was on music, song and dance and other cultural activities, with relatively little focus on theatre. Productions that were staged in the first four years were extremely poorly attended. In 1997, for instance, ''[[Bergville Stories]]'' (written and directed by [[Duma Ka Ndlovu]]), ''[[On My Birthday]]'' (written and directed by [[Aubrey Sekhabi]]) and ''[[Woza Albert!]]'' (by Mtwa & Ngema and directed by [[Danny Moleko]]) were staged and, although tickets cost only R1.00, most performances drew audiences of fewer than twenty people (Swart, 1997). By 2000 the attendance figures for live theatre productions staged at MACUFE had not improved much. MACUFE was, however, becoming part of the arts festival circuit and a number of productions that had premièred at the [[Grahamstown Festival]] or the [[KKNK]] were staged in Bloemfontein. Most of those, however, were “Eurocentric”, staged in English and/or Afrikaans and did little to contribute to the original objective of celebrating “indigenous” African culture. (JvH)
+[[MACUFE]] has been staged annually in the spring since 1997. In the first four years of its existence the Festival had made very little contribution to the South African professional theatre, Afrocentric or other. Its specific aim was cultural, Afro cultural. The main focus was on music, song and dance and other cultural activities, with relatively little focus on theatre. Productions that were staged in the first four years were extremely poorly attended. In 1997, for instance, ''[[Bergville Stories]]'' (written and directed by [[Duma ka Ndlovu]]), ''[[On My Birthday]]'' (written and directed by [[Aubrey Sekhabi]]) and ''[[Woza Albert!]]'' (by Mtwa & Ngema and directed by [[Danny Moleko]]) were staged and, although tickets cost only R1.00, most performances drew audiences of fewer than twenty people (Swart, 1997). By 2000 the attendance figures for live theatre productions staged at MACUFE had not improved much. MACUFE was, however, becoming part of the arts festival circuit and a number of productions that had premièred at the [[Grahamstown Festival]] or the [[KKNK]] were staged in Bloemfontein. Most of those, however, were “Eurocentric”, staged in English and/or Afrikaans and did little to contribute to the original objective of celebrating “indigenous” African culture. (JvH)
 == Later History - 2000 onwards ==

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 == Aims ==
-At the announcement of the festival in 1997 the general manager of [[SABC2]], [[Thaninga Msimango]], declared that “the concept was initiated because there was no cultural festival that expressed the rich culture of indigenous South Africans.” And the Free State MEC for sports, arts and culture, M.W. Molefe, added that “most popular and successful festivals in South Africa are focused on Eurocentric culture, paying scant regard to indigenous African culture” (Makhaya, 1997). Officially dubbed an “African cultural festival”, rather than an “arts festival”, the intention was clear: to stage an event that would recognise and celebrate indigenous African cultural heritage, and specifically as a balance to the other arts festivals which were perceived to do little in that regard.
+At the announcement of the festival in 1997 the general manager of [[SABC2]], [[Thaninga Msimango]], declared that “the concept was initiated because there was no cultural festival that expressed the rich culture of indigenous South Africans.” And the Free State MEC for sports, arts and culture, M.W. Molefe, added that “most popular and successful festivals in South Africa are focused on Eurocentric culture, paying scant regard to indigenous African culture” (Makhaya, 1997). Officially dubbed an “African cultural festival”, rather than an “arts festival”, the intention was clear: to stage an event that would recognise and celebrate indigenous African cultural heritage, and specifically as a balance to the other arts festivals which were perceived to do little in that regard. (JvH)
 == Early History - 1997 to 2000 ==