About two years ago, I started
thinking along the lines of staging music events that would
positively reflect on the collective psyche in terms of
building a united nation.
Events that would encourage communication and collaboration
between artists across the spectrum of our rainbow nation,
to ultimately develop a truly ‘New’ South African
music, art, culture, psyche and nation.
When I put the word out there that I was
looking for a sponsor for such a project, one of the first
people to contact me was KC of The Ubuntu Foundation.
‘Your vision is very similar to mine.’ he said,
‘Maybe we should meet to discuss a joint venture.’
The meeting never materialised, but KC disclosed
that he already had the funding for such a project.
‘I have the backing of the City of Cape Town, Provincial
Government, and Cape Town Tourism and they have already
made the funds available to cover the entire cost.’
KC hosted his first ‘Ubuntu Festival’
- and I stress the italics in both words - at Mandela Rhodes
Place last year, and yesterday he hosted a free festival
in St George’s Mall.
This was any music festival producer’s
dream come true.
It was the weekend after the World Cup Final, Mandela Day,
glorious weather in the Mother City, and the people were
hungry for an opportunity to continue the celebrations.
The cherry on top was ‘fully sponsored.’
Oh yes, this had all the ingredients for a Mother of an
event.
What a disgrace.
Mediocre and largely unknown acts tried
their best to create some kind of vibe on the little box
emulating a stage, and on a sound system designed for a
small indoor venue, but they were fighting a losing battle.
Parcams for stage lighting?
WTF.
I am afraid of mentioning the food court.
Afraid because there is no way that I can talk about it
without reverting to ancient cries of freedom from oppression.
The +- 200-strong crowd included two handfuls
of tourists, three handfuls of bergies, and four handfuls
of what were probably friends and family of the performers.
I knew about the event because I receive
KC’s frequent Ubuntu newsletters, but when I told
Clarence Ford on Saturday night ‘I want to go and
check out the festival in St George’s Mall tomorrow,’
his quite incredulous response was ‘Is there a festival
tomorrow?’
So much for marketing.
For the first time ever, I could walk through
an entire music event in Cape Town without recognising a
single person, and even more amazingly, not a single person
recognising me.
What a waste of taxpayers’ money.
What a waste of a golden opportunity.
What a waste of taxpayers’ money.
The event lacked substance of any sort.
The Ubuntu Foundation is so obviously a
business.
A business that makes money in the name of social upliftment
and nation building.
A business with absolutely no interest in music and the
arts, or Ubuntu for that matter.
It infuriates me that these sponsors are
prepared to throw money at this kind of farce.
But then again, none of them were there to experience the
disgraceful end result.
They are simply not interested enough.
