The inaugural edition of the festival was held in 1995. It was organized by Nic Barrow, a local businessman, and Andrew Marais, a former PR manager for the South African media group Naspers. The festival was named after the Little Karoo (Klein Karoo in Afrikaans), a semi-desert region where it takes place. The KKNK is dedicated to visual and performing arts in the Afrikaans language. The South African government officially recognizes it as a national arts festival.
The festival takes place every autumn, starting in late March and running for eight days through early April. Its program features over 200 exhibitions and performances by more than 1,000 artists from across the country. Over the years, the Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees has become the heart of the Afrikaans theatrical world. A lot of new Afrikaans stage productions premiere at the festival and then are performed throughout the rest of the country during the following months.
Practically all productions performed during the festival are in Afrikaans, but there’s also a small amount of English-language performances. One of the main goals of the festival is to promote Afrikaans and related cultural accomplishments. Its program features theater, dance theater, children’s theater, street theater, music, comedy, fine arts, and everything in between.
The Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees is one of the largest festivals in South Africa. Every year it attracts over 100,000 attendees. From rock music to experimental theater, there’s something here for everyone. And you don’t even have to be fluent in Afrikaans in order to enjoy the exhibitions and productions featured in the program of the festival because the language of true art is universal and the ability to understand it doesn’t depend on our birthplace or ethnicity.
Photo: kknk.co.za
