John Kani: Opening of the Witness Hilton Arts Festival

11 SEPTEMBER 2008

Ladies and gentlemen, I want to begin by thanking the two major sponsors of this unique arts festival which is a meeting of the community of arts practitioners and the people of this region.

The partnership of artists and business is as old as the bible, if not older. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and all the other artists of their time did not paint those great paintings in the hope of selling them to some buyer or art gallery so that they could live. Oh no, they were commissioned to produce that work. That means they were funded by Popes, Kings, Emperors and very rich individuals. Mozart, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and many other composers of our classical music inheritance, they too played for Kings, Dukes, Emperors and nobility - and were actually paid / subsidised. This then proves, without doubt, that the partnerships between business and arts are essential for the development of arts and artists in our country. To Nedbank, The Witness and all other sponsors, your contributions to this important festival must not only be seen as a social responsibility but as an investment in preparing our younger generation, which includes your children, to become better citizens of this country.

This great institution, Hilton College, has a reputation of having produced some of our leaders in politics, education, business, and in the arts as well. One of South Africa's greatest actors, Richard Haines, comes to my mind; Richard Green, an award winning film maker, and many others have left their footprints on the grounds, halls and classrooms of Hilton College and have, later, also left grand footprints on the South African landscape of life.

I've always maintained that business leaders and I, as an artist, we have a lot in common. We both do what we do to make money and we politely call that a service to our people. Business provides food to the people so that they can feed the nation, and we as artists, we provide food that feeds their soul. To the teachers of our children, I say education without the arts produces an android, workaholic, an avaricious monster that wants more and more success without thinking about responsibility to other human beings. When we are successful we must never forget that we are our brothers' and our sisters' keepers.

I appeal to the government of the province of KZN, and to local municipalities, to adopt the festival and make it the flagship of this beautiful province - showcase it to the whole country as KZN's own National Arts Festival, as the one in Grahamstown. They don't have to re-invent it. It's here, it exists, it's successful, and it's in Hilton, at the famous Hilton College. All the KZN provincial government has to do is to invest in its survival and success and be proud of their association with it.

Thank you to the communities of this region, who come every year, without fail to celebrate our humanity, to spread the seeds of UBUNTU amongst ourselves and hope that our children will inherit from us a little more than just our DNA, wealth (those who have it), but also our culture and UBUNTU.

I, therefore, with pride and humility, declare the festival open. Thank you, my friend Sue Clarence, for bestowing this honour on me.

DR JOHN KANI