Arts and culture sector to challenge minister

FUNDING CUTS

- MASHUDU SADIKE [e-mail]

THE South African arts and culture industry is in uproar, preparing for a major showdown with the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture and its Minister, Gayton McKenzie.

The department is under fire for its decision to significantly reduce funding for major cultural festivals.

This backlash is also fuelled by the reallocation of R82 million from its budget, money initially earmarked for the now-abandoned Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology project.

This contentious move has thrown events like the Cape Town International Jazz Festival, the National Arts Festival, Suidoosterfees, KKNK, Woordfees, Innibos, Aardklop, and the Vrystaat Kunstefees into deep crisis, raising serious concerns about the survival of South Africa’s vibrant cultural landscape.

Adding fuel to the fire is the revelation that the R82m diversion was initially meant for sports federations, a move critics claim is “crippling grassroots sport”.

Artist organisations are not taking these decisions lying down, saying they were gearing up to fight back against the minister’s decision, whether through court or taking to the streets.