CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – South Africa has held its annual International Public Arts Festival (IPAF), despite the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing measures. Turnout was low but those attending welcomed the street festival, held Feb. 10-14, as a chance to get out of the house.
\nScores of people attended the IPAF’s opening in Cape Town this month \u2013 even though South Africa has been the country worst hit on the African continent by the coronavirus pandemic.
\nThe annual street arts festival strictly followed the government\u2019s COVID-19 rules, including no groups larger than 50 people \u2013 said one of the organizers, Alexandre Tilmas.
\n\u201cThe best way was to split people. Because we are painting outdoors, and the artists are outdoors, every guest that want[s] to visit us, we put them in tiny little groups and send them [to] visit the neighborhood.\u201d
\nThe artists changed the landscape in the Salt River neighborhood, a former industrial area made famous by the colorful murals.
\nThe five-year-old festival usually attracts artists from abroad.
\nBut this year, because of the pandemic\u2019s travel restrictions, just two showed up to create their murals.
\nDespite the low turnout, festivals like the IPAF should be held to boost South Africa\u2019s struggling tourism sector, said tour guide Analisa Zigana.
\n\u201cYou know, you need to sanitize, we need to keep our social distance. If we keep to those regulations, then I think it\u2019s still okay. So, we can continue with the festivals but, just make sure that we keep to the regulations, Zigana said.
\nThe World Travel Awards has voted Cape Town Africa\u2019s leading festival and event destination for the last three years.
\nBut the tourism sector also is suffering amid the pandemic and Cape Town cancelled all big events again this year.
\nNonetheless, festival attendees like Laeti Maboang welcomed the break from pandemic lockdown measures aimed at preventing the virus from spreading.
\n\u201cThe fact that it\u2019s still happening even [when] the pandemic is still going on. And I feel like we are in need of this, we are in need of being out, interacting with people; even we have the mask,\u201d Maboang said.
\nSouth Africa a year ago enacted one of the severest lockdowns worldwide, with restrictions on gatherings, movement, and sales of alcohol.
\nThe country has registered the highest number of confirmed cases on the continent with nearly 1.5 million infections and more than 48,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. COVID-19 is the illness caused by the coronavirus.
\nThis year\u2019s festival displayed more than 100 murals and focused on three points: creativity, sustainability and safety.<\/p>\n
Source: Voice of America<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"