The management of the annual Hilton Arts Festival is appealing to the public to support an international crowd-funding appeal through Back-a-Buddy, which will enable the festival to continue in light of diminished funding due to Covid.
For almost three decades, Hilton Arts Festival has been presenting quality performances and exhibitions to KZN and national audiences. Sue Clarence, festival director, said, “Funding and support are essential to make a festival of this magnitude viable. The sums simply won’t work if we rely on ticket sales only. In order to keep the ticket prices affordable, patronage is essential. “We absolutely believe that audiences, performers, artists and support services genuinely want the festival to survive and continue into the future, even initially at a scaled down version. However, right now, not even that is financially viable for us. We are on the brink of extinction.”
She said since the first festival nearly 30 years ago, Hilton has staged countless productions and exhibitions and has provided paying work to thousands of performers, artists and support staff. Clarence explained how the addition of the Jongosi programme meant that special packages have to be created for school learners to enjoy the experience at vastly reduced rates, and to encourage theatre-goers of the future. To date, 32 000 learners have benefited from the Jongosi programme. “Wanting meaningfully to support the Hilton Festival going forward, top Durban creative agency, Whalley and Associates, put up their hand to help. To this end, they have offered marketing support and have made a video featuring some of the industry’s finest: John Kani, Athol Fugard, Nthati Moshesh, Ismail Mahomed, Fiona Ramsay, Bheki Mkhwane, Gcina Mhlophe, Amra-Faye Wright, Greig Coetzee, David Qadasi Jenkins and others who have all added their voice and support to the campaign,” said Clarence. “As a largely self-funded festival, Hilton relies on donations in kind from technical supply companies and sponsorships in order to operate. Sadly, due to the pandemic, many of them can no longer afford to offer the kind of support that a festival of this scale needs,” explains actress Nthati Moshesh. Writer, Greig Coetzee, recalls the extraordinary support the festival offered him when he was starting his career; Isibaya’s Bheki Mkhwane talks of the arts industry being “decimated”; Spud author John van de Ruit talks of the role of the importance of the Jongosi youth outreach project and Aaron McIlroy enthused about the festival’s “compressed energy”.
