In this #SliceofGasant, Gasant Abarder rises to applaud the South African arts community for having the wherewithal and resolve to keep going. The time to support local talent is now. How we avoid the biggest catastrophe of the 21st century to date? We pay for quality content. And if we can afford to, we pay double.
Abarder, who recently launched his book, Hack with a Grenade, is among the country’s most influential media voices. Catch his weekly column here, exclusive to Cape {town} Etc.
The curtain closed for our arts community in a very violent and abrupt way that came with no warning. Actors, musicians, directors, singers and the cast of thousands who make up the cultural spine of our country had the door rudely slammed in their faces.
Performances were cancelled, seasons of TV shows placed in limbo and artists everywhere were wondering where the next payday would come from when the first hard lockdown was extended beyond 21 days. Some never recovered. In a crueler fate, some of our best artistic minds were lost to COVID-19.
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It is against this backdrop that a performer still learning his craft had to adapt.
His story is not dissimilar to many other South African artists. But the lockdown brought urgency and saw him rapidly move from voiceover artist, cruise ship performer and jingle singer to the star of his own one-man, full-length musical feature film. When that was done, Naadier ‘Broetjie’ Adams reinvented himself again to embrace the 4th Industrial Revolution.
Growing up as the joker of his class at Spine Road High in Mitchells Plain, Broetjie dreamt of emulating Emo Adams. He fought hard for his dream and during lockdown played the title role of his own musical biopic, ‘Just Broetjie’. The film, a musical journey about a Mitchells Plain man who eventually makes it in the arts despite the challenges, was written and directed by Malick Abarder (disclaimer: he ain’t heavy, he’s my brother).
When the run of Broetjie finished on the Quicket virtual platform, he fortuitously landed a gig as the entertainment co-ordinator at Goudini Spa – Rawsonville’s worst kept secret which is kept afloat singlehandedly to such an extent by the Muslim community that they are now a halaal resort (LOL, as the kids would say). Broetjie had the skills and the cultural know-how that appeals to this never-ending new target market for the ATKV resort.
In his new role, he has had to learn new tricks too; like how to use digital platforms and technology to safely entertain audiences. But in the biggest development for Broetjie as an artist and performer is his use of time to produce an original work which takes him a step further away from doing covers.
Watch the last segment of a recent episode vlog #LiveNLoud to see Broetjie’s original TikTok song and his hilarious takeover of the show.
Broetjie may not have had the instincts to adapt these new skills had it not been for his finishing school with mentors who helped him pay his dues.
During COVID there has been a proliferation of instant acts who ply their trade on social media. TikTok and Instagram can turn anyone with talent into an overnight success. This is the new world of performing arts. It is lucrative if you have hit critical viewership.
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But the acts that will have the staying power are the ones who have seen the highs and the lows of a career in the arts. They are the ones who will be left standing after the last audience member has left the theatre. They are the ones we need to cherish during this dark time for humanity.
How do we do it? We pay for quality content. And if we can afford to, we pay double. We buy original content and say no to piracy. Forget about the empty promises of relief for the arts sector by the government. It is up to you and I as consumers of the arts to help see our most gifted compatriots through this period.
They have been there for us to provide a smile, a laugh, and a cry when we needed it the most. They have given sense to a mad world gone even madder thanks to COVID-19. Let’s rise to give our arts community a standing ovation. But more than that, let our support of the arts in South Africa ensure that there are many, many more encores.
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Picture: Umsplash
