In a landmark collaboration between various art festivals and The Jobs Fund, local artists will be given better work opportunities.
The Festival Enterprise Catalyst (FEC) project, a joint initiative by the National Arts Festival, Nasionale Afrikaanse Teater-inisiatief (NATi), Concerts SA, Woordfees, Aardklop, Suidooster Fees, KKNK and the Tribuo Fund, with support from The Jobs Fund, will invest R20 million over two years to create, present, support and tour productions across the country.
The Jobs Fund has committed R10 million to the project, with the other R10 million coming from the other partners.
The FEC project aims to invest in new work and support existing productions, thus providing artists, technicians, and creatives with consistent income opportunities and stimulate further exposure by working collectively to bring international producers to South African festivals.
Monica Newton, CEO of the iconic National Arts Festival said that the collaboration is a historic moment for the arts industry.
“By working together, we can create a more vibrant and sustainable ecosystem that benefits artists and audiences alike.”
Lionel Kunene, senior technical advisor at The Jobs Fund said that they don’t usually partner in the arts sector, but can see the potential.
“We can already see that there is real impact potential in the cultural and creative industries and that investing in this project will bring a level of sustainability to creative workers.”
Concerts SA’s Andre le Roux highlighted the importance of the creative sector for night time economies sharing: “Across the world, places with vibrant cultural scenes are places that people want to live in and visit, so the value of this initiative is not only for creatives but also for the broader economy.”
The FEC project will include financial support to artists to tour their productions across multiple festivals, form partnerships between leading South African festivals, increase opportunities for sustainable income generation and exposure, offer training and support to artists and create jobs.