Unmute ArtsAbility Festival 2015

This is South Africa’s premier Integrated Arts Platform that presents a display of collaborative artistic works by artists with mixed-abilities (With and without disabilities) and from mixed genres (Music, Dance, Drama, Visual Art etc.). It’s a week-long event of activities during the International Week for People with Disability in December, presenting Live Performances, Live Exhibitions/installations, Site-specific shows and Out-door performances that will be happening in and around Cape town CBD and Townships. The festival is an end product of artistic workshops/creations and collaborations that are facilitated by artists (from Unmute Dance Company) who are currently pioneering integrated arts in South Africa. The festival seeks not to isolate people with disabilities from the society but start conversations around integration and accessibility, while celebrating people’s different abilities through art. Choreographers, Directors, Filmmakers, Photographers, Visual Artists and Musicians were challenged to collaborate and/or create inclusive works of art with/for a group of Artists (with mixed-abilities). These are the works that challenge people’s state of mental-misconception on disability. Art works that encourage people to break barriers and make an awareness of existing diverse abilities, giving audience(s) a chance to realize the abilities of people living with disability(s). The theme of this year’s festival focuses on Accessibility, Integration and Ability. Using Arts to transform public and private spaces and making them accessible for people to start dialogues around disability and integration, while celebrating the unrecognized abilities that People with Disability posses. To explore this theme, the festival is presented through five Programmes (Inzalo Ability, Enable, AccessAbility A & B, Imbizo Ability and Imbokodo Ability): INZALO ABILITY Inzalo (birth), this programme gives birth to new voices. Merging different art genres to create something new and also showcasing the birth of a new generation of integrated artists, which is the outcomes of ArtsAbility Integrated Arts Training programme. ENABLE The programme introduces integrated arts in the Township, creating an awareness and opportunity for people with disability to realize their potential, and opening up an opportunity for integration of People with Disability in the Townships. ACCESSABILITY A &B The Programme visits inaccessible public and private spaces to highlight the ignored challenges that people with disability face on a daily basis, and taking ownership of these spaces by creating our own access. IMBIZO ABILITY Imbizo is a Zulu word meaning “Gathering”. All organizations/Companies who are involved in the Festival gather to celebrate the International Day for People with DisAbility through an inclusive collaborative performance on the 3rd of December. IMBOKODO ABILITY As the South African say “You strike a woman; you strike a rock (Imbokodo)”, this programme aims to highlight the Ability and Strength of female Choreographers/Directors in this male dominated arts industry. These directors/choreographers are commissioned to create works with a mix-abled group of young people who are part of the ArtsAbility Integrated Arts Training Program. FESTIVAL TEAM Artistic Director: Themba Mbuli Curator: Mandisi Sindo Project Manager: Mpotseng Shuping Facilitators: Andile Vellem, Nadine Mckenzie, Yaseen Manuel British Council Staff : Thabisa Ndlazi, Pam Vutula, Fareez Bridgens, Gugu Nonjinge and Jean September Artscape Team: Debbie Damons, Marvin Weavers and Candice Jansen (Headsupp Communications) Youngblood : Marie Vogts