DURBAN ARTS NEWS

UKUZAMA KUKA ZULU

Ukuzama Kuka Zulu is a project from Indwedwe led by Thabo Bhengu.

Members of the Group are Samuel Ngcobo, Bonga Xulu, Khanyisile Xulu, Hopewell Ngcobo, Nokuthula Ngcobo, Goodness Xulu and Christopher Xulu.

Last month the group was asked to perform for the Australian Cricket Club at the Crowne Plaza Hotel and passers-by were treated to a free display as the performers rehearsed their traditional dance on the lawns opposite the hotel.

(An example of how artistes are not taken seriously is that this group was not given a dressing room but told to change outside on the lawns opposite!)

DURBAN ARTS FUNDING

Not the Valentine Massacre but the Valentine Mass Appeal, that's what hit Margaret Winter, Chairperson of Exco, last month as a Valentine's Day present.

With the threat of possible budget cuts to Durban Arts, all 70-odd affiliates were urged to write to Mrs Winter explaining how funding from Durban Arts was crucial to their very existence.

"For 14 years Durban Arts association has fought the good fight for the arts, but always believed that deeds speak louder than words. So we remained largely unsung," says Durban Arts Director, Noel Fairhurst.

SERIOUS

"Now some serious-minded citizens are concerned that over 70 well established, voluntary arts oldies might disappear over the next 18 months, if the Durban Arts grant from the Metropolitan Council for 1997/98 is drastically cut in line with current constraints on funds."

EXISTENCE

When people go to the annual Messiah or concerts by the Durban City Orches-tra, Durban Mens Choir or Durban Boys Choir, they are reminded of Durban Arts existence by acknowledgements of funding in the programmes.

But taking the major portion of Durban Arts funding budget are often unsung cultural activities in the townships, squatter camps, hostels and farther-flung black communities of the Durban Metro.

ALLOCATED

Durban Arts has allocated money to 20 or more groups that had worked up to 30 years without cash from national, pro-vincial or local government. All were previously financed out of the pockets of the really poor, who gave their services as well as performances for love.

"We first gave young pop artists from townships a break in 1987 by launching our weekly lunch-hour concerts on the City Hall steps," adds Noel. "These now attract 1 000 regulars every Wednesday. Several of our lunch-hour proteg‚s were 'discovered' by pop impresarios here."

In 1988 Durban Arts began its quarterly

Street Ballroom concerts with plastic sheeting laid over Church Walk below the City Hall steps where professionals alternate with crowed participants in ballroom dancing.

ISICATHAMIYA

In 1994 Durban began funding the impressive number of groups who present the isicathamiya style of music. Isicathamiya is indigenous to KZN and was made internationally famous by Ladysmith Black Mambaso.

Three years ago board member Alson Gcwabaza's multi-communities video project began staging 15 workshops a year, all over the metropole, to train would-be video producers.

Swami Thyagaraja was Southern India's great traditional poet-composer. Durban Arts significantly funds the biggest Thyagaraja festival outside India each year, as well as other productions of Indian music and dance by the multi-ethnic Indian Music Dance Academy.

MODEST

Two years ago, Durban Arts couldn't find the modest allocation it gives to the 80-year-old Durban Eisteddfod. That year, for the first time, there was no Eisteddfod.

The annual African Choirs Festival.

Kessie Govender's shoe-string theatre for people in black communities and Sikatlethu are fostered by us.

John Ramoata and Vusi Shashu hold drama workshops for children on Satur-days. Monthly art workshops and show-cases are held at Adams Mission by the Siyathemba Youth Cultural Association.

Recently Durban Arts adopted the John Wesley School's annual drama and dance theatre presentation.

This year Durban Arts believes it will at last have some money for Darius Brubeck's Jazz Festival.

LARGE-SCALE

The Clermont Cultural programme is the kind of large-scale cultural structure Durban Arts would like to promote, given the money. It takes in three com-munity schools' festivals, a big commu-nity concert in December, 30 perfor-mances by the Clermont Community Chest, 20 workshops and group presen-tations by the Moleni Cultural Commu-nity, as well as 30 voice training work-shops in Clermont/Kwadaveku.

The Umlazi Drama and Music Project sees 60 music and drama groups being taken through development programmes every month of the year. It also runs the Umlazi Children's Visual Arts Centre.

The Durban Speech and Drama Festival examines 50 000 scholars in set verse and prose in 150 schools and studios.

If all the affiliates of Durban Arts wrote in, as they promised, Councillor Winter will have a lot of reading to do!

NORTHERN MEANDER

The Durban North/Umhlanga Meander takes place on March 30. Maps are available from Umhlanga Publicity or Durban Arts. Phone HelŠne on 52-6732.