AN AMBITIOUS maritime festival is being planned for Durban, according to Professor Dan Archer, development facilitator at the University of Natal's Maritime Initiative.
We need a common vision for Durban and that vision should be the port, he says, adding that a maritime festival organised along professional lines and with major role players would help achieve that objective. We also need to improve the interaction between port and city, he says.
The festival is scheduled for Easter next year, with a strong focus on cultural activities. Other functions will include trade shows, maritime theme conferences along the lines of '21 years of containerisation' and 'science and technology of ports', as well as sporting activities and open ships. International standards will ensure that within five years the festival should be capable of attracting up to one million visitors, Archer said.
He expects that the major role players will be Portnet, the navy, shipping companies, the local business community and Chamber of Business, the metro council and provincial government.
Planning for the festival is well advanced, having commenced in mid-1997. We intend starting off modestly, Archer says. But ultimately the Durban Maritime Festival will become to Durban what the Arts Festival is to Grahamstown.
By Terry Hutson
