Organisers of the Hart van Windhoek festival have responded to allegations by MTC’s Chief Human Capital and Corporate Affairs Officer, Tim Ekandjo, who charged the festival does not benefit Namibians as it ‘sidelines’ Namibian artists.
Festival director, Chris Grobler from the organising company Hilltop Live, said even though mostly South African artists performed at Hart van Windhoek, the past festival saw the greatest Namibian involvement since the show’s inception three years ago.He said Namibian entities provided important services, which contributed to success of the festival that saw about 15 000 people attend. Grobler said that many of the services required were created specifically for Hart van Windhoek and they have subsequently been used and delivered all over Namibia and in some instances also in South Africa. ‘For the duration of the festival 500 people were hired through an annual recruitment drive,’ he said. With regards to the fact that the majority of the performers were from South Africa, with only eight of the 25 acts being Namibian, he says that although festival-goers indicate that they primarily attend the festival to see the big South African acts perform, the festival also gives a chance to some local talent to perform on such a big platform, which remains a priority for the organisers. Grobler said that Hart van Windhoek festival has in the past even helped open doors for Namibian artist. One of the 2011 festival stars, Namibia’s Wambuseun, was invited to perform at the iconic South African rock festival OppiKoppi as a direct result of Hart van Windhoek. Other artist who have been invited to perform in South Africa include Famaz Attak, Stefan Ludik and Adam, which includes Namibian-born Hugo Ludik.He said the festival has also fulfilled their social responsibility by giving back to Namibians in need. For the first time the festival made a donation of N$120 000 to community driven Namibian charities. Grobler said some of the beneficiaries include NOAH (Namibian Old Age Helpfund), The Dagbreek School for the mentally disabled as well as Childline. ‘The organisers and sponsors are committed to repeating this initiative in future,’ he said. ‘We’ve been investing heavily in the project over the past few years and it’s hugely encouraging to see it gain such traction after only three years,’ said Grobler. ‘We are happy with the turnout, the business support and especially the community’s enthusiasm. We think it’s safe to say the Hart van Windhoek festival can now be regarded as an important annual event on the Southern African musical calendar,’ he concluded.
