WATCH: Youthful ‘Afropocalypse' wins Gold Ovation Award as National Arts Festival comes to a close

The Citizen

7 days ago

The National Arts Festival concluded on Sunday after 11 days of art in Makhanda.
The cast of Afropocalypse on stage at the National Arts Festival. Picture: Supplied
The youthful Afropocalypse won a Gold Ovation Award at the 2025 National Arts Festival (NAF) as the annual festival drew to a close on Sunday in Makhanda, formerly Grahamstown.
The Ovations are a longstanding award that recognises qualifying Fringe productions that have moved audiences, resonated in conversations, demonstrated skill and technical prowess, shone in reviews, and reflected on their context.
'The Fringe was packed with new ideas and new themes this year. A lot of work asked deep questions about family, values and how to show up in a challenging world,' said NAF's Associate Producer, Zikhona Monaheng.
'Coming to the Fringe is an act of bravery, but it's also an entry point into a warm community. To everyone who came, our deepest thanks for being here.'
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Afropocalypse
Directed by Daniel Buckland, Afropocalypse was cast from second-year students at the Market Theatre Laboratory, and posed a deep question: When everything else is lost, what or who will remain?
Set in a post-apocalyptic South African wasteland, Afropocalypse follows a community of travelling players who navigate a desolate landscape through the power of storytelling.
As they dodge drone strikes and evade swarms of military helicopters, these intrepid storytellers encounter an unexpected audience.
The production delves into speculative narratives, exploring the events that led to the end of the world as we know it.
Through four fables, the play addresses themes fundamental to the human experience: Greed, Mortality, Religion, and Unconditional Love.
The play is defined by the cast's youthful energy, their infectious facial expressions and how each of the students had a chance under the spotlight at St Andrews College's Centenary Hall, where the play was staged.
Other winners at the Ovations include State of Numb, presented by Motsau Motsau, which follows one individual's fight to hold onto their identity in a world that demands conformity. State of Numb won Silver Ovation Awards.
Other Silver Ovation Awards winners are Circle Song, A Childhood in Chalk, Umnqophiso: The Covenant and S'il vous Plait.
Shows like A Fool For You, Umthelo Imiyalo, Ndingekafi: Whispers of Redemption and 12 Dogs were some of the Bronze Ovation Awards.
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NAF
Small towns seem to appreciate things a little bit more. That they're less jaded and are more authentic, and this is true of Makhanda, with all its glaring potholes and unbothered donkeys.
Eatery The Long Table, one of the longest-running fixtures at NAF, embodies the homey atmosphere of a small town while also capturing the vibrancy of the festival.
After watching back-to-back shows, one comes to the Long Table to realign their chakras and grab a home-like cooked meal in the community hall transformed into a restaurant.
NAF has been hosted in Makhanda for over 50 years, welcoming artists and art lovers in the small town located in the Eastern Cape.
The Citizen was invited to the first week of NAF by Standard Bank where some of this year's standout shows were presented. From poet Modise Sekgothe's Gabo Legwala to the one-man play Prayers by Vusi Nkwenkwezi.
The work at this year's NAF was captivating and reflected South Africa's current state.
A play like Isilwane Esimnyama reminds the audience of the gruesome murder of Uyinene Mrwetyana at the Post Office, highlighting the country's Gender-Based Violence pandemic.
Comedian Conrad Koch and Chester Missing's Puppet Power show, happening at NAF, as DA's Helen Zille gave President Cyril Ramaphosa a 48-hour deadline after he fired DA minister Andrew Whitefield, gave audiences a real-time reaction from a political commentator to what was currently happening in the country.
The documentary Black Women and Sex, which recently won the Best Documentary Feature award at the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) was also screened at the festival.
The doccie follows three women: Zambian Iris Kaingu, South African Glow Makatsi, and Nigerian chef Olawumi Oloye, and their relationship to sex.
Despite the town's size, the venues for shows are uniquely rich in history and culture.
The Amazwi South African Museum of Literature, where the play Land of Nonesi was staged, is one of the most beautiful buildings in the entire town.
The Black Power Station, situated just outside the town centre, is a revolutionary venue for artists and creatives to express themselves without inhibition.
As a way of encouraging a culture of reading, patrons are encouraged to donate a book if they can't afford to pay for a ticket to a show at their venue; this has led to the Black Power Station becoming a library with hundreds of books in the venue, which also regularly hosts cultural events.
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