Speech by the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Alderman
Patricia de Lille on the occasion of the signing ceremony
of the agreement for the Cape Minstrels Annual Carnival
The Mayoral Committee Member for Tourism, Events and Marketing, Cllr
Grant Pascoe
Representatives of the different Minstrels’ Associations
Good day, goeie dag, molweni
I would like to welcome all of you here for what is a significant occasion
for the City.
The City of Cape Town is committed to celebrating the diverse cultures
that exist throughout the city.
This is in line with our broader goal of building an Inclusive City that
recognises and embraces all of the different cultures represented in our
city.
In a society as diverse as ours it is essential that we provide the space for
all cultures to flourish.
What is required of all of us is to work together to encourage tolerance for
the different traditions and beliefs of other residents.
Since assuming office last year, the administration I lead has worked hard
to reach out to different cultural groups in the city to ensure they feel part
of an Inclusive City.
We made a concerted effort to strengthen our relationship with the
Minstrels community as part of our efforts to revive the historic and
cultural significance of the Cape Minstrels Annual Carnival.
To this end, the City last year appointed retired Constitutional Court
Judge, Kate O’Reagan as an independent mediator to lead negotiations
between the City and the different minstrels’ organisations to lay the
foundation for a successful Cape Minstrels Annual Carnival.
Our constructive engagements resulted in the return of the event to its
original date on the second of January every year and its traditional route
through the Bo-Kaap.
Today we are formalising our relationship with the representatives of the
various Minstrels’ associations to ensure that we are fully prepared to
make this year’s carnival a spectacular event.
This follows hours of careful negotiation and discussion.
I would like to thank all involved for the constructive spirit that the
majority of participants have displayed during these negotiations.
We are committing ourselves to working together to deliver a widely
celebrated event that all the people of Cape Town can be proud of.
The City will provide R3.5 million worth of logistical and support services
such as traffic control, safety and security, law enforcement, and
cleansing to ensure that the event is properly controlled and managed in
the best interests of the Minstrels’ groups, spectators and the City as a
whole.
We are determined to grow the Tweede Nuwejaar Minstrel Carnival into
an event that enjoys the status of similar cultural celebrations throughout
the world.
This event has a rich history in our city.
Over the years the event has grown into one of the city’s most celebrated
cultural events.
It brings together Capetonians from different backgrounds for an
important cultural experience in the centre of the City.
The creative contest between the groups for the most creative outfits and
best performances makes it a wonderful celebration.
If properly managed – with a united Minstrels’ community and a binding
code of conduct for all participating groups - we can raise its profile to
join the league of prestigious cultural festivals that are celebrated
globally.
The City recognises the potential of events like this in fostering social
cohesion in Cape Town.
We will continue to work together with the Minstrels’ community, as best
as we can, to grow the Cape Minstrels Annual Carnival into a cultural
celebration that complements our efforts to build a more Inclusive City.
It is regrettable that a minority section of the Minstrels community has
chosen not to be part of this year’s celebration due to their dissatisfaction
with the process to appoint an event organiser for the Cape Minstrels
Annual Carnival.
For the record, the appointment of the event organiser was conducted in
a fair manner that is consistent with the legislative framework that guides
the appointment of service providers for the City.
It is unfortunate that this group has expressed its withdrawal from the
celebrations at this late stage when the City went through an extensive
and lengthy process of engaging all associations to ensure that the event
is successful.