By Frederick Philander
WINDHOEK
It was this week officially announced without any real fuss that artists taking part in a seasonal event of the Bank Windhoek Festival will henceforth take all the proceeds from any show or performance being staged under the auspices of the festival.
The announcement was made on Tuesday by the chief organizer of the festival, Professor Aldo Behrens, at the monthly festival press briefing.
This decision is generally considered to be a breakthrough for the progressive promotion of arts via the popular Bank Windhoek Festival.
Until last year, festival participating artists were obliged by contract to pay fifty percent of their hard-earned box-office ticket incomes to the festival organizers, who apparently availed that money to a foundation of the bank to further the promotion of arts.
A number of artists vehemently complained at a report-back meeting last year and objected to the arrangement which, in their view, marginalized themselves further.
“It was not at all worthwhile participating in the festival under such conditions due to the fact that income to artists, especially those who make a living from their creative talents and skills, had to part with fifty percent of their shows’ door takings – something very hard to come by in our very small art fraternity,” said the organizing secretary of Committed Artists of Namibia, Felicity Celento, when asked for comment on behalf of her organization.
Last year many shows which featured on the festival programme either shut down prematurely or had to make do with very low audience numbers – some shows played to a one-member audience.
“Committed Artists of Namibia had no real problems filling up venues with audiences because the group has a theatre following of almost thirty years in the capital as well as in rural areas. In fact, the group’s production of ‘The Porridge Queen’ drew capacity houses during the 2006 festival. We are expecting the tendency to continue this year with our unique and authentic four-play theatre season over four months which starts under the auspices of the Bank Windhoek Festival in August,” Celento said.
As from now, the income situation should improve dramatically for most local struggling artists.
“The winner ‘takes all door income’ concept to the benefit of artists during a seasonal presentation, is a very wise and far-sighted economic decision by the festival organizers, whom we suspect have changed the festival policy thanks to the consistent agitation of some progressive-thinking artists in the local fraternity. We are of the opinion that more Namibian artists will in future participate in the festival,” Celento said.
The festival organizer also elaborated in a statement on report meetings last year.
“Artists articulated an understanding that the annual September Festival, which was normally organized over a weekend or two, could/should be scheduled during longer periods. This was in line with a strategic plan to organize monthly Mini Festivals that will be highlighted with a Seasonal Festival – the rationale being to spread various arts presentations during a Main Festival over a longer period of time to avoid a congestion of events scheduled for one day / one weekend,” the statement said.
The 2007 Winter Festival will be anchored and highlighted by the Kokopeli Choir from Canada which will perform at the NTN in July.
“Taking also into account that the World Youth Choir will visit Namibia during the latter part of July 2007, the idea is to prelude this great occasion with Choir concerts in various venues over weekends during June and July. To add even more status to the Winter Festival, other main artistic genres, Visual-, Dance-, Music- and Theatre Arts are asked to indicate their intended manifestations during that time,” Behrens requested.
The UNAM choir and a body mapping art presentation form part of the April programme of the Bank Windhoek Festival.