CELEBTATING the Arts, the 16th ELfest is under-way, showing of some of East London’s schools’ best talent
The festival comprises of two sections, namely Drama and Visual Arts whereby entrants from Grade one up to Grade 12 are invited to take part.
“The festival is the brain child of Mrs Elsa Radloff who by the way is now 83 years old and still organises the drama section and adjudicates as well,” said organiser Cheryl Kent.
Last year the festival saw over 1000 entries for the Primary Schools poetry section alone. Over 15000 high school pupils are involved each year.
“At the time there was no outlet for children to showcase speech, drama or visual arts in East London, so the need to create a platform for them is what drove us to establish the Elfest,” said Radloff.
The Elfest has steadily grown from strength to strength every year as most primary and high schools in East London send through hundreds of entries each year.
The drama section can be entered in either Xhosa, Afrikaans or English and accepts a wide range of poetry and monologues.
Two years ago a rap music section was also introduced, giving students a new and exciting outlet.
“Last year we had some excellent rap entries, the kids were so enthusiastic and they produced such fantastic work,” said Radloff.
Participating schools include Cambridge, Hudson, Stirling, Beaconhurst, Merrifield, Clarendon and Selborne Primary and High Schools, to name a few.
While the Visual Arts section is currently being adjudicated, the Drama section adjudication will only take place next month.
Hosted by the Belgravia Art Centre, the art exhibition is currently open to the public from 8.30am to 3.30pm daily (excluding the 16 June) until next week Friday.
“The exhibition comprises of Art works from various schools in East London. The public are invited to view the beautiful artworks throughout the week,” said newly appointed Principal of the Belgravia Art Centre, Terry Schultz.
