The Fugard Festival held this weekend in Nieu Bethesda drew over 500 visitors to the small Sneeuberg village. Not only were festinos treated to a rich and varied programme of art, theatre, music and film, but the seamlessly organized event, arranged chiefly by festival director, Reinet le Roux, gave credibility to the possibility that it will join the growing number of annual festivals on the South African calendar.
Highlighting the opening ceremony on Thursday night, a message from South African playwright Athol Fugard, was read by his sister Mrs Glenda Swartz from George, who later presented several of her brother’s literary prizes both to Nieu Bethesda and also to Middelburg, Cape, where he was born. Fugard who has been described as ‘the father of South African theatre’, first bought a house in Nieu Bethesda in 1970. Here he not only wrote a number of his plays, but also set them in the village, making famous some of its most colourful characters. The best-known of these is Helen Martins of the now famous Owl House in his play “Road to Mecca”. In his message, Fugard thanked the people of Nieu Bethesda and especially the people of Pienaarsig for “at least half a dozen of my plays”. He particularly thanked local writer Idil Sheard, official translator of his work into Afrikaans, for initiating this new Karoo festival, adding, “It was in the Karoo that I discovered the Afrikaner in myself”. Introducing Glenda Swart, Mrs Sheard further quoted Fugard as saying that it was their mother’s sense of justice, right and wrong, and her belief in education and hard work, that had influenced him in everything he had written.
In her address, Mrs Sheard made special mention of the donors, both local and others including the Owl House Foundation, the ATKV and BASA (Business and Art South Africa) whose contributions had made the festival possible.
The children of Pienaarsig headed the entertainment for the ceremony including the Kids Club trained by Belinda du Toit MC for the evening. The Sopkombuis choir in Xhosa traditional dress and led by Julia Olifant, and a Khoi San performing group delighted festival guests with Afrikaans, Xhosa and English songs and their wonderfully rhythmic traditional dancing. Two gospel choirs, the Maranatha and Jesus-is-the-
Highlighting the Festival drama programme was Marlene Zwiegers’ remarkable one-hander performance of “Uilvrou”, a multi-media presentation including a telling montage of video clips from the Owl House and Camel Yard, accompanied by cello music by Francois le Roux. It was interesting to observe that the well-deserved standing ovation for Swieger’s was led by learners from the school in Pienaarsig. These are children whose appreciation of, and appetite for art and theatre are being developed by growing up in Nieu Bethesda where the Owl House has become a well-known attraction to tourists who continue to buy locally-made sculptures. These could be seen on sale at festival venues with other well-made items displayed by individual artists, as well as at the Bethesda Arts Centre. A burgeoning craft industry in the village has been encouraged over some years by locally-based artists starting with Helen Martins’ sculptor, Koos Malgas. The new impetus provided by the Fugard Festival was show-cased by a short but pleasingly polished play called “Besoek aan Miss Helen”. Written by Idil Sheard’ and directed by Belinda du Toit. Performances by a quaintly attired Miss Helen and her enthusiastic assistants brought the house down.
Also featuring local acting talent, the hilarious Langenhoven sketch “Die Kys abaut the Forro” had the audience in stitches of laughter as actor director Dusty (Glyn) Kenyon hurled insults in comically mixed Graaf-frikaans at accused Martin Haines and magistrate David Langmead.
On Friday night, popular guitarist and entertainer Lise Beekman filled the Nieu Bethesda Theatre with music lovers who also listened spell-bound to the amusing anecdotes introducing each song. Her concluding song, ‘Halleluja in Nieu Bethesda” (inspired by a New Year’s Eve visit) sent the starry-eyed audience out into a karoo night bathed in the light of a full moon. Meanwhile, a programme of classical violin and piano music was performed by Charl du Toit and Conrad Spingies for an exclusive but smaller audience in ‘Bruce se voorkamer’.
The smallest audiences of all were the few lucky ticket holders who had the privilege of a visit to the specially candle-lit Owl House; a magical experience made possible to the festival by the Owl House Foundation.
Between events in the theatre, there was time to enjoy a conducted tour of the village in Jakob’s horse-drawn buggy; or of the historical Dutch Reformed Church with its hand-carved woodwork; see a film or have lunch at Antie Evelyn’s hillside restaurant overlooking the Pienaarsig soccer field. Several of the Art Exhibitions were displayed in restaurants like the Village Inn, where, work by artists from de Rust, Glendine and Volga White, as well as ceramicist Charmaine Haines and studio potter Martin Haines, could be viewed at leisure while enjoying wholesome karoo fare. Another successful exhibition was held at the Bethesda tennis club featuring the work of, among others, James Stead [“District Road to Nieu Bethesda” – oil on board] and Bronwen Langmead [“Karoo Lamb”], and some striking photography by Robert Kingwill. Paintings by Stephen Parsons, Marquirde Beneke and Raymond Westraadt could be viewed at 204 Pieterson Street, and those of Rick Becker at the Post Office coffee and gallery; while a remarkable sculpture of Athol Fugard was an eye-catching piece by sculptor Frans Boekkooi at Heidi’s. Several of these exhibitions are to remain in place for a few weeks after the close of the festival, while already popular village watering holes like the Two Goats Deli will continue to attract post-festival visitors for a long time.
Several stimulating and entertaining literary events like the exhibition by NELM (National English Literary Museum) featuring productions of “The Road to Mecca” internationally and locally, and a discussion on Fugard in Afrikaans led by Idil Sheard (who last year was awarded a Gold Medal for Translation)
while a PowerPoint presentation, “Theory of Everything” almost filled the Nieu Bethesda Theatre on Saturday morning with those keen to hear author Dr Michael Jarvis speak about his book “God by Evolution”.
Appropriately in sports-mad Eastern Cape, Nieu Bethesda even provided a rousing football tournament between Rietpoort Farm, Coloniesplaats, Arts Centre United and the Development Foundation or Kayalitsha with Festival sponsored prizes on offer for the winning teams. The finals are yet to be played to determine the overall winners.
