Mangaung African Cultural Festival

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.

Mission Statement

Develop MACUFE by showcasing the best local and international African artists in various disciplines, providing a quality professional service through an extensive and structured marketing campaign utilizing the multi-skilled professional staff, established infrastructure and resources at its disposal. (MACUFE Website)

Origins

Although the emergence of an arts festival circuit after 1994 in the New South Africa was a key development in SA professional theatre, most festivals did relatively little to specifically explore or celebrate black (South) African culture, theatre or theatre-makers. Obviously every festival typically had a number of black artists taking part in productions, and audiences included some black theatre-goers, but the participation of the white and Western-oriented theatre-makers, as well as audiences, disproportionately outweighed the contribution from black African and historically disadvantaged artists and festival-goers.