At a time when economic exclusion is a reality for the majority of South Africans, it is important to explore innovative ways of providing economic opportunities.
I had the privilege of attending the annual Oppikoppi Festival on August 7-9, which was held near the mining town of Northam in Limpopo.
The festival has diversified over the years to include other genres besides rock music, thereby extending its reach and making it appeal to a broader audience. But its following is still predominantly white Afrikaans- speaking South Africans.
The economy around the festival intrigued me and got me wondering about the role that festivals such as Oppikoppi can play in building a more inclusive economic climate for all citizens, especially artists.
It is estimated that over 20000 people attended this year's event. Those who attended had to comply with the cashless system the organisers put in place. Attendees had to purchase a card for R10 and then load on that card the amount they wanted to spend on food and drinks over the three days of the festival.
Even though attendees could request cash refunds, chances of people spending less than the amounts they loaded onto their cards were highly unlikely. This meant that organisers could count their profits before the festival even began.
Notably, all stalls which sold food, drinks and merchandise were owned by white people, with black people as labourers. This reflects the balance of economic power in SA's economy. The festival has been running for 21 years, making it as old as our democracy. Platforms like Oppikoppi must realise that the challenge to transform our racially biased economy does not belong to the government alone.
The white middle class attendees of this festival are beneficiaries of the previous Afrikaner nationalist ideology, a project put in place to enrich a minority.
Democracy has created coexistence amongst all citizens, and white people must also take ownership of the economic transformation project. The whites who attend Oppikoppi have it in their power to redirect the flow of their inherited wealth to previously disenfranchised communities.
Organisers of the event should go out of their way to recruit young black entrepreneurs to have a significant presence in the stalls. Doing this would assist some black-owned businesses to move out of the oxygen tank of government contracts and grants whilst assisting the white middle class ease their guilt about having benefited from an unjust system by providing a sustainable way for them to give back to the previously disadvantaged.
The festival has already contributed to growing the local art scene by introducing music lovers to artists they'd otherwise not have known. This exposure has led to more people buying these artists' music and tickets to their performances beyond the Oppikoppi. In the same way, if those who run the event commit themselves to the transformation project, the festival could go a long way not only to boost the economy of the arts but the broader economy.
Johnny Clegg, Karen Zoid, Hot Water and BCUC, some of the most significant performers of the weekend, all remarked that it was great to perform to a multi- racial audience.
Indeed, the Red Bull stage reflected this multiracialism they were alluding to. There was an atmosphere of social integration reflected through language and popular dance routines that unite black and white young South Africans who share dorm rooms at tertiary institutions.
Although the festival is a space where black and white youth socialise together, the festival highlights the discrepancies that continue to exist between them. Black young people leave the festival to return to their lives of struggle with student indebtedness and the long road to becoming employees.
White youth have a less strenuous path to economic advancement and ownership because of the foundation that has been laid by their predecessors.
White South Africans must stop being indifferent about the privileges they accrued and the disadvantage suffered by blacks because of apartheid.
They have a part to play to rectify the imbalance.
Majola is songwriter, singer, playwright, actor and director
Whites need to help drive economic transformation
At a time when economic exclusion is a reality for the majority of South Africans, it is important to explore innovative ways of providing economic opportunities.
I had the privilege of attending the annual Oppikoppi Festival on August 7-9, which was held near the mining town of Northam in Limpopo.
The festival has diversified over the years to include other genres besides rock music, thereby extending its reach and making it appeal to a broader audience. But its following is still predominantly white Afrikaans- speaking South Africans.
The economy around the festival intrigued me and got me wondering about the role that festivals such as Oppikoppi can play in building a more inclusive economic climate for all citizens, especially artists.
It is estimated that over 20000 people attended this year's event. Those who attended had to comply with the cashless system the organisers put in place. Attendees had to purchase a card for R10 and then load on that card the amount they wanted to spend on food and drinks over the three days of the festival.
Even though attendees could request cash refunds, chances of people spending less than the amounts they loaded onto their cards were highly unlikely. This meant that organisers could count their profits before the festival even began.
Notably, all stalls which sold food, drinks and merchandise were owned by white people, with black people as labourers. This reflects the balance of economic power in SA's economy. The festival has been running for 21 years, making it as old as our democracy. Platforms like Oppikoppi must realise that the challenge to transform our racially biased economy does not belong to the government alone.
The white middle class attendees of this festival are beneficiaries of the previous Afrikaner nationalist ideology, a project put in place to enrich a minority.
Democracy has created coexistence amongst all citizens, and white people must also take ownership of the economic transformation project. The whites who attend Oppikoppi have it in their power to redirect the flow of their inherited wealth to previously disenfranchised communities.
Organisers of the event should go out of their way to recruit young black entrepreneurs to have a significant presence in the stalls. Doing this would assist some black-owned businesses to move out of the oxygen tank of government contracts and grants whilst assisting the white middle class ease their guilt about having benefited from an unjust system by providing a sustainable way for them to give back to the previously disadvantaged.
The festival has already contributed to growing the local art scene by introducing music lovers to artists they'd otherwise not have known. This exposure has led to more people buying these artists' music and tickets to their performances beyond the Oppikoppi. In the same way, if those who run the event commit themselves to the transformation project, the festival could go a long way not only to boost the economy of the arts but the broader economy.
Johnny Clegg, Karen Zoid, Hot Water and BCUC, some of the most significant performers of the weekend, all remarked that it was great to perform to a multi- racial audience.
Indeed, the Red Bull stage reflected this multiracialism they were alluding to. There was an atmosphere of social integration reflected through language and popular dance routines that unite black and white young South Africans who share dorm rooms at tertiary institutions.
Although the festival is a space where black and white youth socialise together, the festival highlights the discrepancies that continue to exist between them. Black young people leave the festival to return to their lives of struggle with student indebtedness and the long road to becoming employees.
White youth have a less strenuous path to economic advancement and ownership because of the foundation that has been laid by their predecessors.
White South Africans must stop being indifferent about the privileges they accrued and the disadvantage suffered by blacks because of apartheid.
They have a part to play to rectify the imbalance.
Majola is songwriter, singer, playwright, actor and director
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