Guest editor | Cue 2023
For the duration of the 2023 National Arts Festival, I was invited to take up the role of editor in chief of Cue, the specialist arts publication of the School of Journalism and Media Studies at UCKAR.
Editing the Cue was something of a full-circle moment. I did some of my first professional arts writing as a student writer for Cue, working in newsrooms led by Darryl Accone, Nick Mulgrew, Steve Kretzmann, and Sean O’Toole. It was a hugely instructional experience for me as a young arts writer.
Over the years, I’ve returned to Cue as a sub-editor, consulting editor, and specialist writer. Editing the publication this year, and being afforded the opportunity to lead a newsroom full of young, aspirant writers and multimedia journalists, was very special.
There is a dual function to Cue. It’s an important archive of the performances, exhibitions and talks that take place at the Festival each year and in this way it also provides artists — many of whom are debuting works at the Fetsival — with reflections on and documentation of their work. The other function is to train young journalists, giving them professional newsroom experience, and helping them bolster their portfolios.
As editor, I was held by an excellent editorial team in Colin Nass as managing editor, Elejha-ze Gengan as designer, and Jenna Kretzmann as sub-editor. Together, we managed to put out a daily 10–14 page publication (albeit a digital one) full of original reviews, features, interviews, news, photographic and videographic coverage of the National Arts Festival.
The Cue is not immune to the realities of contemporary South African journalism, and budget cuts, lack of specialist training, and the absence of real mentorship in arts journalism have seen Cue struggle more and more over the years. That said, I’m very proud of what we — the editorial team and the group of student journalists — were able to accomplish over the 10 or so days of the National Arts Festival, putting Cue back on the map for artists and readers alike.
The hope is that the momentum endures over future festivals, and generations of young journalists to come.
