National Arts Festival: Musician Mabandla makes his debut this year - Covid-19 lockdown forced musicians to find new ways of getting their music heard
. But then 2020 happened. Without warning, the world stopped. President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his first of what would later be known as “family meetings”. His first four words would change life as we knew it. “My fellow South Africans”, he began, before explaining that the country was shutting down because of the
South African artists who made their living through live performances and exhibitions, received the short end of the stick that was dealt to us all. Standard Bank, one of the main sponsors of the festival, is aware of this. Desiree Pooe, the head of sponsorships at the bank, says: “Our involvement in the arts is in line with our purpose of driving Africa’s growth. Through the partnership with NAF [National Arts Festival], we have contributed and continue to see the growth of the industry, its participants and beneficiaries.
But, says the artist, it’s not just a show, it’s the beginning of a personal transition and a move to his next album. “My last album was such a different experience. But I’m fortunate to have a team behind me [that could see the bigger picture]. The silver lining in the release of [“I think it had the opposite effect on people than I wanted … they could actually listen to it,”