5. MEDIDAS DE PREVENCIÓN
5.3. Nivel operativo de las medidas de prevención
In 1975 Manca’s dream for Eoan to tour abroad eventually came true when the Group was invited to participate in the 1975 International Festival of Youth Orchestras and
Performing Arts held in London and Aberdeen in August.270 Earlier in the year, the Group also presented their eleventh annual opera season from 26 February to 8 March, and for the first time in years included two ballet productions on 6 and 8 March respectively. The programme comprised six performances of Verdi’s La Traviata and the two ballet productions each had three sections: a Spanish Ballet, a Classical Ballet and a Modern Ballet, all of which were choreographed by Eoan’s dancers. The season was again held at the Green & Sea Point Civic Centre. During the season Eoan also held various operatic concerts in the Coloured suburbs of Elsies River, Bellville South and Athlone.271 The
266 Minutes of the 37th AGM held on 4 February 1975, p. 9. Eoan Archive, box 72, folder 553. 267 See concert schedules in the Eoan Archive, box 16, folder 114.
268 Seating plans for the Green Point Civic Centre. Eoan Archive, box 10, folder 65. See also Advance Press Publicity in the Eoan Archive, box 6, folder 46
269 Archive no. 8 of the Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns. Information obtained from Prof. Izak Grové.
270 Letter from Ismail Sydow to Mrs. Joyce Bryer, Secretary General of the International Festival, 20 March 1974. Eoan Archive, box 53, folder 436.
principal singers during this year were May Abrahamse, Gerald Samaai, Ronald Theys, John van der Ross and Josephine Liedemann.
The official invitation for the tour to the United Kingdom, received on 11 February 1974, stated the following:
The Festival Foundation cordially invites 35 members of the Eoan Opera Group to attend the 1975 International Festival of Youth Orchestras which will take place from 4th – 15th August in Aberdeen and from 15th – 17th in London.
The Eoan Group will give one main performance in Aberdeen and another in a neighboring Scottish town as well as participating in the two gala evenings, one in Aberdeen and one in London.
We, the International Festival of Youth Orchestras Foundation, guarantee to pay for the 35 members of the Eoan Group’s full board and accommodation. […] The Festival Foundation will also be responsible for covering the cost of the Eoan Group’s transport from Aberdeen to London on 15th August.272
With their lodging and transport inside the United Kingdom being paid for, Eoan only required sponsorship for the group’s airfares and other costs such as loss of wages for those singers who had to take unpaid leave from their daytime jobs, pocket money for the group and freight costs for some of their costumes. Additional funding also had to be raised for an extra two weeks of training for the Group in London after the festival. The initiative to approach the Festival Foundation was taken by Ismail Sydow in December 1972 when he visited his daughter Didi in London. A meeting with the Foundation was set up via Mr. Bruce Pinkard,273 and Sydow managed to convince the Festival organizers to guarantee Eoan’s participation. At this early stage the Eoan Group was already placed on the official list of organizations taking part in the Festival in 1975.274
From a letter to South African Airways, dated 20 September 1974, in which Eoan applied for sponsorship of the group’s flights, Sydow’s sincere and almost naïve approach is apparent: ‘Mrs. Bryer replied that the matter of the Eoan Group’s participation in the Festival sounded very interesting and exciting not only from the cultural aspect but more
272 Letter from the Secretary General, Joy Bryer, 11 February 1974. Eoan Archive, box 24, folder 172.
273 Mr Pinkard’s company, London Associates, handled much of the arrangements in the UK. It is not clear what exactly his initial relationship was to the Eoan Group. See correspondence in the Eoan Archive, box 24, folder 174.
importantly from the point of closer understanding of the activities of various countries thereby promoting closer human relationships between the youth of the world’.275
The budget for the tour amounted to R 45 000, of which the group was able to contribute approximately R 15 000 from fundraising concerts.276 The bid for sponsorship from South
African Airways was not successful and it was only by April 1975 that Sydow could confirm that the Department of Coloured Affairs had promised to meet the shortfall of their expenses, provided that the Group approach as many other institutions as possible for sponsorship.277 In June 1975 Sydow applied for additional funding for the tour from the Municipality of Cape Town. This letter too explained the purpose of the Festival, exposing the blatant contrast to the circumstances and political atmosphere in which Eoan was trying to produce opera locally. Just two years earlier, the permit that allowed Eoan to perform in the Green & Sea Point Civic, went as far as to forbid social mingling between the White and Coloured races.278 Sydow now described the aims and objects of the Festival as follows:
The Festival brings together with a common cultural purpose youth from different countries, varying socio-economic backgrounds, different religions, races and even opposed political ideologies, and encourages a harmonious, co-operative and creative period of living together, with music as the common interest and motivation. A major aim of the Festival is to foster good relationships and international understanding amongst the youth of different countries and to promote respect and tolerance for one’s fellowman. Each year leading orchestras, ballet and dance groups, choirs and opera companies from different parts of the world attend a two-week festival which is held in Aberdeen (Scotland) and London. Each group gives performances, attends seminars and various social and sporting events.279
Since this was a Youth Festival, the members who were chosen to travel abroad had to be younger than 26 years of age. The full company eventually consisted of 42 persons of
275 Ibid, p. 2.
276 Letter to the Municipality of the City of Cape Town, 9 June 1975, p. 1. Eoan Archive, box 24, folder 174.
277 Letter to Mr L.C. Walker, an Eoan Group Trust member, 28 April 1974. Eoan Archive, box 24, folder 174.
278 Permit issued to the Eoan Group, 25 April 1973. Eoan Archive, box 16, folder 114. 279 Letter to the Municipality of City of Cape Town, 9 June 1975, p. 1. Eoan Archive, box 24, folder 174.
which Manca selected a choir comprising 26 singers under the age of 26,280 four guest singers (Ronald Theys, Gerald Samaai, Vera Gow and May Abrahamse), six dancers, six administrative staff which included Joseph Manca and his wife Minnie, Ismail Sydow and his wife Carmen, Eoan’s voice trainer Allesandro Rota and Eoan’s accompanist Regina Devereux.281To raise more funds for the tour, the Group gave five more operatic concerts:
two in Cape Town (of which one in the City Hall and the other in the Nico Malan Theatre282) and one in Stellenbosch. The week prior to their departure, they travelled to
Johannesburg via Bloemfontein where they gave a concert in the Bloemfontein Town Hall on 25 July. Sydow described this event as follows: ‘This represents a great break-through for the Coloured Community. Never before in the history of South Africa have Coloured People been allowed a) to appear in the Orange Free State, and b) to stay in the same hotel with White persons.’283 On 26 July the Group travelled to Pretoria and gave their last fund raising concert at the University of South Africa in Pretoria. This too is described as ‘another break-through’.284 On 28 July the Group departed for London from Jan Smuts Airport outside Johannesburg.
During the Festival Eoan performed various opera choruses from their existing repertoire with and without soloists. They were accompanied by the Young Person’s Symphony Orchestra from Scotland, which Manca conducted.285 The Festival in Aberdeen was held not only to display musical talent, but also focused on training. The ballet participants attended classes in London and one person was even flown to Madrid for training in Spanish dance. Manca secured the services of Gordon Jephtas who joined the group in Aberdeen and London to train the choir. After the Festival the Group stayed in London for another twelve days during which they received training in acting, movement, dialogue and make-up at the London Opera Centre. Jephtas was also present during these sessions
280 The well-known tenor Sidwill Hartman and his three sisters, Avril, Jennifer and Veida, were all part of the choir. See list of participants. Eoan Archive, box 24, folder 174.
281 1975 Eoan Group, Names of the members of the official Eoan Group Company. See also correspondence with Mrs Joy Bryer, the Secretary General of the Festival, 1 April 1975. Eoan Archive, box 24, folder 174.
282 The Nico Malan Theatre became accessible to all races in 1974.
283 This concert was organized by ‘Die Vryburgers van Bloemfontein’. Letter to the Municipality of City of Cape Town, 9 June 1975, p. 3. Eoan Archive, box 24, folder 174.
284 Ibid.
285 According to Winfried Lüdemann, it was clear that Manca was not a good conductor.
Apparently the orchestra followed the concert master instead of the conductor. Interview with Prof. Winfried Lüdemann on 14 January 2009 in Stellenbosch.
and took care of choral training in between other classes. On 27 August the Group was treated to a reception hosted by the South African ambassador in England at the South African Embassy. The six Eoan dancers remained in London for further training until 15 September while the remainder of the group departed for South Africa on 30
August.286The National Youth Orchestra of South Africa, consisting of white musicians,
also took part in the Festival. The two groups were unaware of each other until they met in Aberdeen. According to Winfried Lüdemann, who at the time was a member of this Youth Orchestra, the two groups mingled freely and supported each other’s concerts. He also mentioned that anti-apartheid demonstrations took place outside the concert hall where both groups were performing. During the festival informal sports events were organized and the Eoan singers and Youth Orchestra musicians played soccer in one team against Poland.287
Earlier in 1975 the first Cape Town Festival was held in March and April, hosting a variety of cultural events. Manca and Sydow had been aware of the preparations for the festival since 1973 and requested that Eoan take part in the festival and serve on the organizing committee. Eoan eventually gave one operatic concert, Gems of the Opera, on 20 April 1975 in the Cape Town City Hall.288
1976
16 June: The Soweto school students’ massacre. Within a few weeks over 1000 children are killed and 10000 children imprisoned. Resistance spreads to schools and colleges throughout the country. This incident is regarded as a turning point in the struggle against
apartheid.289
12 September: Steve Biko is killed in detention.290
286 Outline Itinerary U.K. visit Eoan Group 1975. Eoan Archive, box 24, folder 174. 287 Apparently they lost 6-0 against Poland. Interview with Prof. Winfried Lüdemann on 14 January 2009 in Stellenbosch.
288 See correspondence between Eoan and the City Council in 1973/4. Eoan Archive, box 1, folder 2.
289http://www.liberation.org.za/library/Library/ANC_Materials/ANC-history.htm, accessed 20 July 2008.