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National Arts Festival explores Edinburgh

A National Arts Festival delegation is on its way to Edinburgh, Scotland, to share SA’s top festival with the best of the global arts-world, and to see what can be brought back to Grahamstown from this internationally renowned arts-embracing city.

Edinburgh is known as the world’s Festival City, playing host to 12 major festivals throughout the year. Seven of these festivals run concurrently during the month of August, earning Edinburgh the title of being the largest most respected arts festival city in the world.

Tony Lankester, National Arts Festival CEO, will be presenting a paper on “Fringes around the World” as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme on the 22nd of August. He will be joined in Edinburgh by National Arts Festival Fringe manager Kate Axe-Davies, and the Festival’s media liaison, Gilly Hemphill.

“Our aim in Edinburgh is to expose the National Arts Festival to the wider audiences of the world, promote collaborative exchanges with other festivals internationally and develop audiences,” said Lankester.

There are seven South African productions that are part of this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme, which fills 200 venues across the city of Edinburgh during the month of August (7 – 31 August). SA favorites on the Edinburgh stages include the acclaimed Soweto Gospel Choir, the African Children’s Choir from Nkomazi, and SA guitar legend Tony Cox.

South African authors that will form part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival (running from 15 – 31 August) programme include South African born Gillian Slovo (Black Orchids), Joel Joffe (The State vs. Nelson Mandela) and Alistair Morgan (Sleeper’s Wake).

William Kentridge, previous Standard Bank Young Artists Award winner, will also be discussing his work, and particularly his collaboration with the Handspring Puppet Company, as part of the Edinburgh International Festival’s workshop programme.

Tony Cox will be performing after a function hosted by the National Arts Festival for the Scottish media. This event will be held on the 24th of August, with the purpose of discussing the impact of the FIFA World Cup on the 2010 Festival, how the Festival is opening its stages for the world’s performers and to discuss opportunities for the international press to cover the 2010 Festival.

“By visiting the Edinburgh Festival we hope to expose the National Arts Festival and Grahamstown to Edinburgh festival goers, and to the media that support festivals around the world, and to engage and stimulate the ‘cross-pollination’ of cultures,” said Lankester.

The National Arts Festival is sponsored by Standard Bank, The Eastern Cape Government, The National Arts Council, The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, The Sunday Independent and M Net.

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Note to editors

The seven festivals run concurrently in Edinburgh during the month of August are:

Edinburgh Art Festival (5 August – 5 September 2009)
Scotland’s largest annual visual art festival.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe (7 – 31 August 2009)
The largest arts Festival in the world with live performance in the streets and over 200 venues around the city. (Features theatre, comedy, dance, music, musicals, children’s shows, exhibitions and events)

Edinburgh International Book Festival (15 – 31 August 2009)
The Edinburgh International Book Festival is the largest Book Festival of its kind, with over 700 world-class writers and thinkers taking part in more than 800 events.

Edinburgh International Festival (14 August – 6 September 2009)
Presenting a rich programme of classical music, theatre, opera and dance during a three week period in late summer the Edinburgh International Festival is one of the most important cultural celebrations in the world. The Edinburgh International Festival is a curated festival - all artists and companies appear in the Festival at the invitation of the Festival Director.

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival (31 July – 9 August 2009)
The best international musicians rub shoulders with top Scottish talent to present unique collaborations, world premieres, Scottish debuts and outstanding musicianship.

Edinburgh Mela Festival (7 – 9 August 2009)
Mela means ‘Gathering’ in the ancient language of Sanskrit. In Edinburgh, the Mela Festival is a celebration and exploration of the people, places and identities that reflect the diverse communities of the world.

Edinburgh Military Tattoo (7 – 29 August 2009)
The Edinburgh Military Tattoo is one of the world's greatest shows. Set against the dramatic backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, this 90 minute performance is a unique blend of music, ceremony, entertainment and theatre. Over 1,000 military and civilian performers gather for a breathtaking spectacle of music, history, dance and color. Each year about 217,000 people attend the Tattoo, while another 100 million watch it on television.

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About the National Arts Festival: The National Arts Festival, now in its 35th year, has proved its sustainability and has grown to be one of the leading arts festivals in southern Africa. Its objectives are to deliver excellence; encourage innovation and development in the arts by providing a platform for both established and emerging South African artists; create opportunities for collaboration with international artists; and build new audiences.

ISSUED BY  :                       THE FAMOUS IDEA TRADING CC
ON BEHALF OF  :                  NATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL
CONTACT  :                          GILLY HEMPHILL
TEL   :                                  021 886 4900
CELL   :                               082 820 8584
EMAIL   :                              gilly@thefamousidea.co.za