The Department would like to express its deepest gratitude and appreciation to the patrons of the Mangaung African Cultural Festival (MACUFE) who have continued to be loyal to the brand. Support from stakeholders, partners and sponsors during the 2022 edition of MACUFE is also noted and highly valued.
Against all odds, the event was successful in several areas: Local artists participation in the festival continued on an upward trajectory with a total of 34 out 65 artists participating in the festival. This means that over 50% of artists were Free State based artists. The MACUFE Homebrew programme, a developmental programme meant to provide participation opportunities exclusively for local artists, provided this opportunity to about 145 Free State based artists.
Attendance at the various shows was satisfactory with venues filled to full capacity indicative of the level of public interest that continues to manifest itself in this festival. From a safety and security, logistics and economic opportunities point of view the festival has also demonstrated itself as a festival of note. No major security incidents were reported or encountered. No technical glitches were experienced in terms of the technical capabilities that were deployed at the various shows of the festival, from stage, sound, light and so on.
As done previously, a broader socio-economic impact study will be commissioned to assess the actual socio-economic impact of the festival on the economy of the province and the municipality in particular.
Reflecting on the successes of MACUFE 2022, the Member of the Executive Council for Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Mrs. Limakatso Mahasa noted that: “Undoubtedly, MACUFE 2022 was a success even beyond our expectations given the two (2) years absence due to COVID-19. Whatever challenges of the moment shouldn’t cloud the successes that have been recorded in 2022 and even during the past 22 years of existence of this festival. We thank our patrons, partners, stakeholders and the broader communities for appreciating the challenges that were confronted while also supporting the festival”.
In conclusion, it is common cause that there is a court case underway around the awarding of the 2022 MACUFE bid. We will like to implore everyone to accord space and time to the court to exercise its authority and finalize the matter.
Source: Government of South Africa