Vibrant and unexpected, Infecting The City is one of the most extraordinary free annual public arts festivals on the African continent. During the festival, Mbombela becomes the backdrop and stage to a mesmerising showcase of live culture across artistic disciplines that include dance, song, poetry and theatre.
Audiences will have the chance to engage with 17 local and national artists integrating with the public spaces in a new and unusual form.
According to the curator, Jay Pather, some of the many "must-sees" are:
Tanner Methvin, executive director of the Africa Centre, said: "It is an extremely exciting challenge to be combining local and national artists to forge a programme that is uniquely Mbombela. Audiences may think that they have seen some of the artists on the programme, but we have a treat in store for them - Infecting the City is more than an arts festival, it is an opportunity to engage with public spaces in a way that audiences may not have done before. We have designed a route and programme for audiences to discover, define and experience their environments in a unique and interactive way."
Sibusiso Xaba, director-general of the Department of Arts and Culture, said: "As we count down towards the celebrations of 20 years of democracy and freedom, we view festivals such as Infecting The City, as platforms that reflect our democracy and freedom - this ability to have self-expression is an important part of the way in which South Africans should celebrate from now until April 2014. Public arts festivals like Infecting The City are vital in stimulating local economies, as they contribute to the Mzansi Golden Economy strategy, through the creative industries and in bringing cities such as Mbombela alive to its own people. Festivals provide more than the obvious benefit - of allowing access to culture that might not otherwise be accessible. They give the general public a chance to interact with their city in new ways and to share that experience with total strangers. In the same way, artists are challenged to create pieces to engage very diverse audiences. Let's celebrate the 20 years of democracy and freedom through the arts."
The festival will follow routes through the city centre, giving audiences a chance to follow the entire journey of artworks for a diverse experience or pick and choose experiences at will along the way. The programme is available on www.infectingthecity.com/2014. All performances listed on the festival programme are free to the public.
