It is with great sadness that we have learnt about the immediate closure of the Fugard Theatre, an institution which shares a rich cultural history for the province, country, and the international stage.
The Fugard Theatre played a huge role in raising awareness around the brutality and inhumanity of our country’s difficult past, and has continued to showcase the importance of building a unified country by presenting many untold stories in our democratic dispensation.
MPP Reagen Allen says: “The closure of the Fugard Theatre has left a huge gap in the Arts & Culture industry which has sowed so many memories in the hearts of people in this country and across the globe.
The closure of the theatre is a result of the national Department of Sports, Arts & Culture, which has never taken the plight of those in the sector seriously during lockdown. Their inability to expand funding relief and put in place solid measures to deal with the impact that Covid-19 has had on the sector are just a few reasons as to why the department does not have the capacity to deal with the effects of Covid-19 on those in the Arts and Culture sector. This was clearly shown when Minister Nathi Mthethwa said earlier this year that the Theatre industry is ‘alive and well’.”
The provincial Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport acted boldly and decisively by setting aside R4.7 million for funding relief in the Arts and Culture sector in the province last year. This is in contrast to ANC-governed provinces, where for example in the Northern Cape, not a cent has been distributed to the sector by that province’s fund.
National government needs to see the importance that the Arts and Culture sector plays, and will play, in reviving society from the devastation that the pandemic has caused. Many people will seek to find comfort in arts and culture for healing, and therefore needs to be seen for the important role it plays in society.
