Awards
28 June 2007
Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Ntombazana Botha invites media to the
official launch of Community Arts Centre Awards. The Department of Arts and
Culture has initiated the awards in an attempt to promote the development of
arts, culture and heritage at grassroots level.
Community arts centres create economic opportunities and prepares people for
employment in the mainstream arts and culture sector. They contribute
significantly to the development of the cultural industries through skills
development. They unearth and nurture the talent of aspirant artists. Some of
the established artists are products of these centres. Socially, they serve as
entertainment centres especially in remote parts of South Africa. The centres
provide an alternative and hope for young people who reside in areas that do
not have modern facilities such as city hall, playhouses and theatres. They
also keep them away from social ills such as crime, drug abuse etc. Community
art centres are fast becoming a melting pot of our diverse cultures. It is at
these centres that we can express ourselves artistically and learn one
another's culture. This cultural interface brings about social cohesion and
nation building.
The awards are primarily aimed at promoting artistic excellence and
community participation in cultural activities. There are five categories of
the awards namely, historic community arts centres, reconstruction and
development programme (RDP) and government arts centres, multipurpose centres,
community initiated arts centres and community based centres. Prizes in each
category will be as follows: first prize: R500 000; second prize R300 000 and
third prize R200 000. The launch will be preceded by a two-day workshop to
develop an integrated strategy for the community arts centre sector in South
Africa.
Date: Thursday, 6 July 2007
Time: 10h30
Venue: Stable Theatre, Alice Street, Durban
RSVP: Eric Mudzanani on 082 940 0927.
Enquiries:
Mack Lewele
Cell: 082 450 5076
Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
28 June 2007
