Johannesburg- Whilst the country’s economy is opening up through alert level 1 lockdown, there is hope for artists whose industry has encountered many challenges since the introduction of lockdown measures in response to the Covid-19-pandemic.
Many artists lost their livelihoods due to restrictions that crippled the entertainment industry. Performers have struggled throughout various alert level restrictions and the problem was exacerbated by the mismanagement of government funds.
R300 million was set aside for the relief of impacted artists but most of the funds did not reach the beneficiaries.
Some of the performers relied on food parcels during the hard lockdown and this led to others staging a sit-in protest at the National Arts Council (NAC) which was meant to administer the funds.
The R285 million was set aside for project funding for the creative sector. Following multiple claims of mismanagement of the Presidential Employment Stimulus Package (PESP) and complaints from the creative sector, the NAC council members launched an independent forensic inquiry on 29 July this year.
Payments to artists were halted so investigations into the allegations could be concluded.
Minister Nathi Mthethwa has since presented the Independent Forensic Report on PESP saying that the investigations revealed that indeed there were irregularities and a number of beneficiaries of the artist COVID-19 stimulus package were approved but never received the funds, while others received more money than they applied for.
So far, 1 309 applicants have benefited from the PESP programme.
One of the people who have benefitted from the PESP programme is Tiro Venter, the Executive Director of Stagefright Edutainment which specialises in Tailor-Made Live Theatre Shows performed at workplaces around the country.
“The National Arts Council through the PESP has afforded us as StageFright Edutainment to develop and perform our Covid-19 Educational Theatre awareness roadshow throughout the entire country, why is left for us is to take this piece of educational art to more communities, companies and other government institutions, schools, old age homes and other community organizations so as to drive the message about the importance and the benefits of vaccines by dispelling all the myths created especially through social media and word of mouth.” Says Venter.
Stagefright Edutainment provides multi-disciplinary services in the fields of Industrial and Corporate Theatre, Road Shows, Activations, Awareness Campaigns, Corporate Communications, and Children’s Theatre.
Through Industrial, Theatre Tiro has employed hundreds of artists in projects around the country and beyond and travelled to Zambia, England, Turkey, Belgium and Luxemburg on a 9-month long international roadshow. He holds a certificate in Introduction to SAMTRAC (Workplace Safety Management Training Course, COVID-19 Workplace Health, Safety and Environment Implementation course.
“The lockdown adjusted level 1 will give live performing actors an opportunity to use Educational Theatre to encourage community members in far-flung rural areas around the entire country to vaccinate by dispelling the various myths surrounding the coronavirus and vaccines, thereby assisting the government by getting the country closer to the herd immunity while also reviving the creative economy by employing actors, dancers and technical crews.” Added Venter.
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