N Balindlela: Launch of Miriam Makeba Audio Visual Centre

1 September 2006

Programme Director
Minister of Arts and Culture, Dr Pallo Jordan
MEC for Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Honourable Mrs Abraham
Ntantiso
Vice Chancellor of the University of Fort Hare
MECs
Members of the District Councils
Honoured guests
Ladies and gentlemen

The rich seam of artistic talent that runs throughout the Eastern Cape music
scene is in the process of being uncovered and marketed to the region, the
country and the world. The vibrant chords of pop, gospel, choral, jazz and
tradition /indigenous groups and every other musical genre will live for
prosperity on CDs, cassettes and DVDs. No longer will the unlimited flair of
Eastern Cape’s entertainment genius lie dormant.

Today is the realisation of a dream that started when we gathered here on 28
October 2004, to launch the Audio Visual Centre Project. The Government of the
Eastern Cape responded to the call by people who wished to have an audiovisual
recording facility by starting negotiations with the University of Fort Hare to
explore the possibility of a partnership with the University in order to
develop an audio visual centre for the province.

While many of South Africa’s countless musical legends deserve the honour of
a centre of excellence named after them, none will dispute that legendary
singer Miriam, “Mama Africa” Makeba is more than deserving of this accolade. It
is fitting that the Eastern Cape Audio-Visual Centre will reside in the home of
“Mama Africa”. Politicians and entertainers alike enjoyed sharing a platform
with Makeba. She was fêted d by the likes of Haile Selasse, Fidel Castro, John
F Kennedy and Francois Mitterrand. Who would not know her hit, “Patapata”?

To date the Government of the Eastern Cape has invested R9 million to the
project. Together with the University of Fort Hare, we are committed to
ensuring that this project succeeds and contributes significantly towards job
creation and poverty alleviation in the province. We hope to contribute to
skills development and the building of artists thereby positively contributing
to Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA). This
project will stem the flow of artists from the province to other provinces such
as Gauteng and the Western Cape. This centre will assist the artists in the
marketing of their music nationally and internationally, but a no less critical
objective, is the identification, recording, documenting and archiving of the
bountiful indigenous knowledge systems and cultural resources in the semi-urban
and remote rural areas of the Eastern Cape. The centre must be accessible to
artists in the province, young and old, budding and experienced. A clear
criterion for selection of recording artists must be developed and
opportunities must be created for the poor to also get access to the centre in
order to improve their quality of life.

We wish to thank our partners; the University of Fort Hare and the Buffalo
City Municipality for their support which has made us realise our goal.
Honoured guests, allow me to welcome our Honourable Minister of Arts and
Culture and other guests from other provinces. As the theme for the Heritage
Month is “Music” we think it is appropriate that this Heritage Month is
launched at the new Miriam Makeba Centre. Honourable Minister, Vice Chancellor,
ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the people of the province of the Eastern
Cape, I wish to officially open this new facility.

I thank you.

Issued by: Office of the Premier, Eastern Cape Provincial Government
1 September 2006
Source: Eastern Cape Provincial Government (http://www.ecprov.gov.za)