Art lovers enjoy theatre fest
The winners of the 2025 Inkundla Theatre Festival are Mshibe Arts Production, Ezemvelo Art Production, and Zamukukhanya Theatre Production.
Heart-stopping drama and rich pathos filled the Uvongo Town Hall at the Inkundla Theatre Festival last Friday.
The Ray Nkonyeni Municipality-run festival was celebrating 14 years of transformative and innovative artistic excellence.
Mshibe Arts Production’s play Insambatheka was named the festival winner.
“We are happy that we won first place, best directing, and promising actor. We learned a lot from the festival. We hope that this platform continues to grow and to offer us the opportunity to showcase our talents,” said a thrilled Nokubonga Luthuli.
Ezemvelo Art Production’s Uhambo lukaZama won second place, and Zamukukhanya’s show Mhlaba Uyahlaba bagged third spot.
The manager of the arts and culture department in Ray Nkonyeni Municipality, Thembi Khawula, said the festival proved that the municipality was indeed a game-changer in the local creative sector.
She said it was inspiring to see parents supporting their children.
Khawula added that growing up, their parents looked down on children who wanted to pursue the arts as a career.
“It is good to see parents realising that their children can make a living through creating art. We are here for fresh and well researched stories that are delivered creatively,” she said.
Khawula said that as the arts and culture department, their job is to increase accessibility so that all artists could get a platform to showcase their talents.
She said they want their platforms to be more accessible to diverse audiences.
“It breaks my heart that the government does not invest much in art, as it should. As Ray Nkonyeni Municipality we initiate programmes that benefit the local arts community. One of our goals is to support emerging artists even when it is beyond our financial control. We want them to showcase a wide range of cultural traditions, styles and perspectives. Sometimes artists do not look to be compensated. When such opportunities arise, local artists must grab them with both hands,” she said.
Khawula added that the Inkundla Theatre Festival would have been impossible without the project manager, Siya Sotsu and his team.
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