Artists showcasing their art at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival

Rus Judda  showcasing shoes he makes by hand

By Wendy Ngcobo

photo by Wendy Ngcobo

The Grahamstown National Arts Festival has attracted many artists to come and showcase their arts including Rus Judda who is a designer specialising in shoe making.

Rus has been coming to the flea market at the Festival since 2005 to sell his shoes. His normal day starts off early in the morning as he has to set up his stall and be ready for business.

He grew up making shoes and has used this as a way to make money and support his family. Coming from Port Elizabeth, the Festival has received him well as his merchandise sell like hot cakes amongst the locals. ”I have to pay a fee to set up my stall but its nothing compared to what I make”, he said.

He started out repairing shoes and now he designs and makes them.Rus's  shoes are made from scratch by hand with leather he purchases from PE Leather. This is a talent that he has had for many years now and it gets better as he grows older.

His only complaint is the many of the stalls that don’t sell anything that has to do with art.”They take up a lot of space and it’s supposed to be an art festival”, he said. But for now he is just happy to be at the festival.

The fun we've had!

Ongezwa
Today is the last day for us here at the Future Journalist Programme Workshop at Rhodes University. It is a sad day but it’s ok. Some of us miss home and some don’t. But we keep telling ourselves that we will see each other in June. That’s pretty close if you think about it. I remember when we first arrived, it was strange. We didn’t know each other but after a day or so things changed. We were no longer strangers but a team.
I, for one, didn’t know what to expect or what was expected of us but within no time I felt comfortable. The camp was my first camp, it was my first time away from home, and I have never had to spend days with strangers. The outcome for me was great. Teamwork, friendship, patience, confidence and trust are just a few of the things that we learned from the Team Building Camp at Umlambo. As we got back from the Camp we did a lot together and shared our life experiences. That for me has made me realise that there’s more to life and also that nothings impossible. This programme has been a real eye-opener for me and probably the whole group.