The Department of Arts and Culture is very pleased announce that the Events and Festivals Grant is being rolled out and ready to deliver as we promised the nation when we made the declaration at Newtown. The Grant provides a platform to display and popularise the multicultural society that we area and create jobs and wealth at the same time.
The objective of the Grant is to create a coordinated programme for events and touring exhibitions that will allow the department to move away from ad hoc funding to strategic funding based on clear programmes and a strategy for events/festivals and exhibitions. We believe that it will also upscale and create extravaganza at existing events and festivals allowing increased diversity of cultural offerings, enhanced quality.
The Grant has the potential to increase the audience and exposure that each production receives which will in turn increase the number of jobs or income for participants. It will also contribute to tourism growth of the various locations where events and festivals are held across the country including small and rural towns.
The Department of Arts and Culture convened an arts, culture and heritage summit in 2011 at Mary Fitzgerald Square, Newtown, Johannesburg. The purpose of the Summit was to consult the arts, culture and heritage practitioners, managers, promoters, etc. and discuss ways to reposition the sector to its rightful place in both the social and economic spheres.
This is because the department believes that the South African arts, culture and heritage sector is our "new gold". We believe that the sector had the potential to lead economic growth and job creation. Thus we referred to the sector (and the new strategic approach thereof) as "Mzansi Golden Economy." The summit was attended by representatives from all sectors of society.
At the end of the summit, the delegates from government, business, labour and civil society; mangers and practitioners in the arts, culture and heritage sector declared that they would work together to develop plans to implement all of the plans identified.
Delegates maintained that:
- the arts, culture and heritage sector is of immeasurable value, both tangible and intangible
- government, together with society are at large, has a responsibility to conserve, protect, transmit and present our culture and heritage
- our culture and heritage are key to nation building and social cohesion, and these are the ingredients for creating a climate of social stability and economic growth
- the creative economy in South Africa has the potential to be a leading sector in generating economic growth, employment and trade as is the case in many advanced economies.
They further committed themselves to working collectively in task teams to coordinate and optimise the funding opportunities, including a small grants programme implemented through an agreed funding model by different institutions, to incentivise performance in all areas of the creative and cultural industries.
They resolved that they would participate actively in multi-stakeholders project task teams, appointed by the Minister, building on existing initiatives, working through existing institutions, to complete detailed plans for implementation, with financial and human resource implications for a variety of strategic programmes.
Mzansi Golden Economy (the department’s new strategic approach to the arts culture and heritage sector), affords a great opportunity for arts, culture and heritage organisations, individuals, events managers, festival organisers, arts directors, amateur and professional organisations an opportunity to showcase their talents and contribute to economic growth and job creation.
Applicants who can demonstrate the ability to promote diverse South African-based productions, exhibitions, designs, events and festivals as per the objectives of the Grant are invited to apply. Full details of the Grant, application forms and evaluation criteria will be publicised in various newspapers and the department’s website: www.dac.gov.za.
Application forms can be downloaded from this site, posted or hand-delivered or emailed before 17 August 2012. For contacts and enquiries please call Busi Dlamini on 012 441 3467 or Rodric Leyds on 012 441 3568 during office hours or e-mail Events.mge@dac.gov.za.
Media enquiries:
Mack Lewele
Cell: 082 450 5076
