‘I was fortunate to be selected as an intern at the DSTV Delicious Festival by the Arts & Culture Trust (ACT). In the build up to the Festival I am learning a huge amount about how to organise and market an event of this size, that attracts over 40 000 people,’ says Tshidiso Setshogwe, a musician, filmmaker/producer and the co-founder of His and Hers Jams, an entertainment and events management company, based in Soweto.
‘The reason I applied for the internship is that we are planning to have a food, music and visual arts festival in Soweto in 2017 with the aim of expanding the arts, culture and music platform here.’
Setshogwe says one of the key skills he has learnt is how to optimise use of social media in the marketing of an event, as well as how to monitor the social media response.
SA’s biggest celebration of food and music
‘Now in its 4th year, the DSTv Delicious International Food and Music Festival presented by Nedbank will take place on the 8th and 9th of October at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Midrand. This is South Africa’s biggest celebration of food and music. The Festival offers creatives an incredible platform and all those attending an exciting experience,’ says Nedbank’s Lifestyle Portfolio Sponsorship Manager, Becky Penumlungu.
Through the partnership between the Delicious Festival, ACT and the Nedbank Arts Affinity, which funds ACT, 20 arts interns were selected from 160 applicants to participate in intensive pre-festival workshops on media, marketing and PR, social media, business and sponsorships, financing and contracts, followed by a nine-day internship working alongside the festival organisers, Delicious Festival Pty SA and the Massive Management, in preparation for the event.
During the Delicious Festival, two dance flash mobs on both days will be choreographed through Vuyani Dance Company. A flash mob is a group of people who suddenly assemble in a public place and, in this case, put on a performance. Vuyani Dance Company is a previous beneficiary of ACT, and has since collaborated with Nedbank on various projects.
The Soweto-born founder, creative director and choreographer of Vuyani Dance Company, Gregory Vuyani Maqoma, started his formal dance training in 1990 at Moving Into Dance Mophatong, another ACT beneficiary.
“The depth we have developed within the arts network has led to many exciting partnerships and opportunities that can be leveraged through events like the Delicious Festival,” says the CEO of ACT, Pieter Jacobs.
He explains the internship opportunity at the Festival helps to address the vast skills need in arts management: ‘A research project that ACT recently conducted with more than 450 arts practitioners in South Africa indicates that 70% of mid-level and senior arts managers, many at the helm of prominent arts and culture organisations, have not had any formal arts management training. It is therefore vital that more people are exposed to internships and ACT’s arts management short courses.’
In selecting the 20 interns for the Delicious Festival, ACT administrator Jessica Glendinning says they looked for young people working in the arts who want to gain the media and marketing skills required in arts management and festival organisation.
‘An intern like Tshidiso Setshogwe totally fits the bill. He and some of the other interns have either organised or are planning to organise their own festivals in their communities or the rural areas. It does not matter if the scale is much smaller than the Delicious Festival because various key elements apply across the board, such as strong organisational skills and astute marketing and media management. They are mentored and guided by the organisers of the Delicious Festival, namely Delicious Festival Pty SA and Massive Management, who have considerable experience and expertise in their team.
Since 2012 ACT has presented two- and three-day Master Classes in several aspects of arts administration to more than 500 artists and practitioners at no cost. The curricula cover governance, leadership, marketing, and monitoring and evaluation of arts projects.
ACT developed the curricula in collaboration with senior lecturers from Wits University and industry experts developed these curricula with funding from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
‘Most recently, ACT presented the marketing course in Limpopo, North West and the Northern Cape with a grant from the National Arts Council,’ Jacobs explains. ‘We have also recently signed an agreement with the National Lotteries Commission to present all four courses to 30 arts and culture organisations in the Eastern Cape. As of last year, the classes also include a mentorship aspect to ensure that beneficiaries receive the kind of skills transfer that result in tangible impact.’
The Delicious Festival lineup
The musical performances at the Delicious Festival include Macy Gray, Arrested Development, De La Soul, Mi Casa, Elements of Life, The Jacksons, Roy Ayers, Lira, Judith Sephuma and Hugh Masekela.
The chefs include: Reza Mahammad, Siba Mtongana and Jenny Morris, Callie-Anne, J’Something and Sarah Graham.
DATES: Saturday 8 October & Sunday 9 October
VENUE: Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit
TIMES: Gates open at 10am and closes at 10pm
The Kids Zone opens at 12 on both days
For more information: https://delicious.dstv.com/
