The partnership agreement between Richmond Hill Street Music Festival and the local government has been signed for three years, running until 2022.
This year's Richmond Hill Street Music Festival in Gqebela has been postponed after the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality withdrew its sponsorship just a month before the event was due to start.
“On Thursday, August 1, the city authorities told us they would not fund the festival and four other events – we don't know which ones – because the financial situation no longer allows it,” said Guillaume Fabier Niler, director of the Alliance Française Géberhat. Citizen.
The Alliance Française in Gouekebela is the organiser of the festival, which was founded in 2010. The sudden decision by the municipality left the organisers with insufficient time to find an alternative partner.
“They’ve been stuck on their feet for a few weeks now and we reached out to previous year’s sponsors in May to ask if they could help us out more, but now a third of our budget has disappeared, which is a huge loss.
And in recent weeks we have had to continue our normal organisational activities and raise funds. The uncertainty has made it impossible to overcome and we have had to cancel, “affirmed Fabier Nirele.
Citizen There has yet to be a response from the city.
Related article: More than R1 billion needed to repair flood damage in Nelson Mandela Bay
Breach of contract
According to the director, the club has signed a three-year partnership agreement with the city ending in 2022, and withdrawing the sponsorship agreement would be a breach of contract.
“Everything is up to interpretation and we cannot risk litigation. We have everything to lose. All that matters to us is that we give the people of NMBM (Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality) a warm and friendly festival,” Fabier Nilele said cautiously.
He said the whole incident had caused great damage to the long-running festival.
“We managed to get it on the agenda. The first Saturday in September was the date to integrate into the community. A simple postponement has broken the dynamic. We have already lost a lot with this very late decision.”
Fabier Nirere said the local government had played a major role as sponsor, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted we have been able to re-launch this event and without them this would not have been possible. The previous two editions of this festival have been extremely successful.”
The city authorities also assisted with communications by placing numerous posters and signboards along roads in Nelson Mandela Bay City and coordinating the various city services to support all service providers. [in] Safety, health, hygiene, etc.”
Related article: Fête de la Music Festival to hold all stages in one venue after COVID-19 outbreak
The festival was initiated by Alliance Française and involved local governments in 2014 and 2017.
The first Street Music Festival took place around June 21, 2010. This date is very important for the French to celebrate music directly on the streets.
Fête de la Musique (French for “World Music Day”) began in France in 1982 and has since become a global phenomenon, celebrated in over 700 cities in 120 countries around the world for over 40 years.
“This is the atmosphere we wanted to recreate in our wonderful Richmond Hill neighbourhood, where thousands of people can roam freely and enjoy great concerts and shows. That's the French feel we wanted to bring,” said Fabier Nirele.
The past two festivals have attracted thousands of spectators and with an increasing number of choirs, artists and crafters signing up to take part in the festival, it is expected that the next festival will see new levels of attendance.
“This year our axis was oriented towards sport (in connection with the upcoming Olympics in Paris) and fashion, offering new experiences to our visitors. Our mission is to bring culture closer to as many people as possible, and we managed to do just that in Guquebera, an old and vibrant neighbourhood in Richmond Hill.”
NOW READ: Former Idol contestant Musa Mashiane promises new experience for music festival audiences
