Poetavango, a group of committed volunteers, have pulled off an amazing feat. Take a moment to think about what they have done. They brought artists from all over the world to Maun to celebrate art in numerous venues, usually with many events happening simultaneously. They housed the artists, organised transport in many cases. They fed them. Took them on cultural excursions. All of this done by folks in their spare time, after working all day as teachers, physical therapists, running their own businesses. I give them serious credit. I couldn’t have done it and I think most of you couldn’t have either. In my book, MIAF 2015 was a great success, the best festival so far, and the Poetavango members need to be very proud of themselves.
But it wasn’t perfect. Events occasionally didn’t start on time. Sound for stage performances was sometimes a problem. Because of late funding, the programme was fluid. These are teething problems. MIAF is growing up and in the near future important decisions need to be made to ensure its continuation. Without that I’m afraid it will collapse under its own weight. For me, there are two main threats facing the Festival.
