Twenty-first Century

2000-2009

The Millemium celebrations, involving thousdands of performing artists, circlate the globe - and everyone shares the festivities via satelite TV. This amidst huge worldwide debate about the exact year the millenium would start and panic about the so-called "millenium bug" that was supposed to cause computers that would crash.

THE JOHANNESBURG CIVIC THEATRE IS RE-NAMED THE JOBURG THEATRE COMPLEX IN 2007.

2000

Zimbabwe crisis former freedom fighters invade white farms. World outrage.

MBEKI CAUSES AN INTERNATIONAL FURORE WITH HIS VIEWS ON AIDS AND HIS SOFT POLICY ON THE ZIMBABWE CRISIS.

MANNIE MANIM BECOMES DIRECTOR OF THE BAXTER THEATRE, CAPE TOWN. BOETMAN IS DIE BLIKSEM IN (**/FOURIE) A SENSATION AT THE AARDKLOP FESTIVAL. SPIER AMPHITHEATRE PRODUCES A MULTIRACIAL PRODUCTION THE MYSTERIES*?

2001AD

South Africa Festival in London. Incorporates a season of plays - including Umabatha (Msomi/Shakespeare) and The Mysteries*?. First UKASIE Festival in London celebarates Afrikaans culture Die Ballade van Koos Sas (David Kramer), Spanner (Saartjie Botha), Glass Roots (Fiona Coyne), Die Toneeltuk (Breyten Breytenbach). Sorrows and Rejoicings (Fugard). Karoo Kitaar Blues (David Kramer and guests). Ons Kruis Paaie – a musical coming together of SA Dutch and South African musicians at the Oude Libertas Theatre. North Sea Jazz Festival has a Southern Hemisphere event in Cape Town. PANSA (Performing Arts Netweork of SA) founded. ??* Arms deal investigation continues to put pressure on the government. Accustions of an internal ANC plot against the president embarrasses Mbeki. Doubts expressed about his fitness to rule. Mbeki stance on HIV/Aidsan still an embarrassment for government. His attitude to Zimbabwe situation hardens at last. Rand plunges to all time lows. The New Nationalist Party breaks with the Democratic Alliance and seeks an alliance Cape with the ANC. Maryke de Klerk murdered. George W Bush elected president of the USA after a drawn-out election. A spy-plane scandal threatens relations between USA and China. September 11: Terrorist suicide flights destry the Twin Towers in New York. An international War declared on terrorism and the USA and allies attack Taliban rule in Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden. This causes tensions between followers of Islam and Chritian and Jewish countries to escalate.

2002AD

UKASIE takes place again in London AARS! (Verhulst & Perceval), Spanner (Saartjie Botha), Big Dada (Brett Bailey), Gert Garries (Pieter Fourie), Vatmaar (**/ Honeyman) , King Baabu (Soyinka), directed by Soyinka. NAC makes 20 playwriting awards available nationally for the development of new SA plays. World Summit concerts and entertainment. 15 year retrospective of SA artist and sculptor Willie Bester (SASOL Museum, Stellenbosch). North Sea Jazz Festival takes place in Cape Town again. The Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, logically split into two departments: Arts & Culture and Science & Technology. The new Afrikaans language struggle focusses on medium of instruction at tertiary institutions. The crisis of the landgrabbers and the Zimbabwean election. Corruption cases in South Africa. Partial vicrtroy in Aids/HIV battle with anti-retroviral drugs for expectant mothers allowed by courts, in face of Govt. policy. World Summit for Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg. Series of international financial collapses continue. War mongering and sabre rattling conitnues in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, etc.. Atrocities still continue in defiant Zimbabwe as Pula plummets.

2003AD

US & Britain, and allies, invade Iraq

2004AD

Attempts to have democratic elections in Iraq.

2005AD

Exits and Entrances (Fugard), Ghoema (Kramer and Petersen),

2007 AD

IFTR International Conference, Stellenbosch

2008 AD

The New Space theatre opens at 44 Long Street Cape Town

2009 AD

Fourth triennial World Summit on Arts and Culture, Newtown, Johannesburg

2010 AD

The Fugard theatre opens in District Six, Cape Town.

2012 AD

First (experimental) version of ESAT released for public use.

2010-2019

THE FUGARD THEATRE OPENS IN DISTRICT SIX, CAPE TOWN.

THE SOWETO THEATRE IS OPENED IN 2012.

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