OUDTSHOORN NEWS - The Oudtshoorn Cultural Forum (OCF) held its inaugural meeting last Thursday. Headed by newly elected chairperson Anne French, the Forum has an accepted and adopted constitution, which enables it to apply for funding from state organs.

The Forum now aims to create a database of artists working in various disciplines within the Greater Oudtshoorn region and to establish linkages with organisations with similar objectives.

Brett Pyper, Absa KKNK CEO and a driving force behind the Forum, described it as "a necessary vehicle for collaboration and to encourage people to take the initiative. The OCF may appeal to artists across disciplines to draw everyone in to share ideas and resources."

A concern shared by many local artists, that the vibrant spotlight the Arts Festival shines on Oudtshoorn is short-lived, has led to the establishment of the Forum. "We may now begin weaving the fabric of a cultural and artistic life in Oudtshoorn. I hope that we can recognise that building institutions is hard," Peyper said.

He urged members toward constructive engagement and dialogue.

The impulse for the establishment of the current Forum grew in the aftermath of the 2012 Arts Festival.

Initial attempts to establish a Forum in 2010 were met with several structural challenges among which the drafting of a suitable constitution as well as clarifying processes, which meant that the forum had been dormant for several months.

The Forum's membership reflects several artistic disciplines within the local community.


The Oudtshoorn Cultural Forum.

ARTICLE: JACQUES SWART, OUDTSHOORN COURANT JOURNALIST