The arts industry has reacted with shock to the dismissal of the South African State Theatre (SAST) deputy director Mamela Nyamza.
“ It is important for us as practitioners to understand the dynamics of what could have transpired to lead to such a drastic decision. It has to be noted that Mamela’s appointment and, most important, her commitment to dance cannot be overruled. It is imperative to understand what went wrong to what we thought was a hopeful direction taken. SAST need to engage us in this, please make us understand; as custodians of that festival, we deserve at the least the respect to be informed properly.
Paschal Dube said on Facebook: “These are devastating news, just when we were still excited and looking forward to more of her new and fresh arts administration and curatorial skill. Our publicly funded cultural institutions really need a twist of new and 21st century aligned administrators who will lead these institutions to greater heights. We hope for a clarification on this matter soon...
Nyamza's professional dance journey began when she enrolled with Tshwane University of Technology, where she obtained her national diploma in ballet. In 1997, she was the resident dancer and choreographer for the theatre. She has produced controversial shows such as De-Apart-Hate, Hatched, and I Stand Corrected, which was produced in collaboration with UK-based artist Mojisola Adebayo.
Her other shows include Isingqala, Amafongkong, and African Footprints. Her immense contribution to dance and the arts broadly saw her being the first dance artist to be chosen as the Featured Artist at the 2018 National Arts Festival.
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