LISTEN | R100k up for grabs & an international standard — all you need to know about the ‘Cultural and Creative Industry Awards’

For the first time, the department of sport, arts, and culture is set to host the Cultural and Creative Industry Awards.

Veteran actor John Kani, Lillian Dube, Grammy award-winning flautist Wouter Kellerman, and musical group Kwela Tebza were among the stars who attended the launch of the awards at The Melrose Gallery on Thursday morning.

Minister Zizi Kodwa acknowledged the presence of the legends in the room, highlighting the theme of the inaugural event set to take place on March 30 as “recognising the brightest stars”.

“What South Africa has not done, is quantify the contribution of arts and culture, creative and cultural sector into the GDP, not just as entertainment but as an economic opportunity, and its contribution to employment as well as opportunities,” Kodwa told TshisaLIVE.

“There’s a lot that we must do to make sure that the industry is regulated and its contribution can be quantified. Recognition at this level — if you look at the recognition at the level of the Grammys, at the level of the Oscars — that recognition has a lot to do with the individual but also as an inspiration for generations to come.

“We want to push high in South Africa. We’ve got so many awards in South Africa and if we pitch to the level of the Grammys and the Oscars we can talk to the recording companies that they may come to South Africa so that it may change and contribute to the development. There’s a broader vision about the master plan of developing the creative and cultural industry in SA.”

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Kodwa said there are funds, with the help of corporate companies, to help artists develop in their respective industries through this initiative.

Thirty categories include The Heritage Site, The Literary Works, The Visual Arts & Crafts, The Audio Visual & Interactive Media, The Performing Arts, and the Design & Creative Services categories, encompassing the different parts of the industry.

Each winner in a category will receive R100,000.

“Government on its own will not be able to make all this possible. We are proud that a number of corporates have already come ... , we are talking to a number of them.”

The government’s involvement in arts ceremonies has raised eyebrows after the KwaZulu-Natal government promised to sponsor R20m towards the South African Music Awards (Samas) in 2023, but Kodwa assures the public he will uphold the integrity of these awards.

“From the government’s point of view, we don’t have many intermediaries because some of this corruption, fraud and so on happens because there are so many intermediaries. There’s very little that the government will contribute towards these awards. For them to succeed we need the contribution of the corporate sector. The corporate sector pays directly, not to the government. So there’s very little exchange between individuals.”

Take a look at the stars who were present at the event: