POLOKWANE, December 17 (ANA) – The Limpopo government has spent R8 million on the Mapungubwe arts and culture festival headlined by a musical extravaganza at the Polokwane Cricket Club on Saturday, sport, arts, and culture MEC Onicca Moloi said at the event.
“We’ve budgeted R8 million from the provincial government. The national government is giving us R2 million which brings it to a total of R10 million. We are expecting that there will be spin-offs,” Moloi told reporters.
“Those spin-offs will only be calculated by economists maybe a month later. They will tell us how we have contributed to the GDP [gross domestic product]. For now we just know that we have great spin-offs.”
Moloi said the spin-offs from this year’s festival were already tangible. “Our crafters here say they don’t have stock anymore. We made R1.5 million revenue last year. We are expecting to double that amount this year because we had a number of [cultural] activities leading up to the music showcase.”
The festival was not driven by generating profits. “This is more about social cohesion. It is about branding our province. It is also more about promoting our artists. On the line-up today [Saturday], 80 percent of the artists are from Limpopo,” said Moloi.
On Saturday evening, revellers were having the time of their life at the outdoor musical festival where international acts Thandiswa Magwai, Angelique Kidjo, and Encore were billed to rock the stage.
The annual showcase kicked off with a carnival parade in Polokwane on December 1 and is scheduled to wrap up on Saturday. Numerous cultural events have taken place across the province.
– African News Agency (ANA)
