The South African culture and creative industries was dealt a terrible blow with the killing of Sibusiso Khwinana, one of the lead actors in the home-grown film, Matwetwe. His unfortunate and untimely passing at such a tender age has deprived the country and the arts community of his raw talent. In part, due to his and co-actors, the film is reported to have made the top 10 most watched films in South Africa.
In 2016 he was amongst a few selected creatives to be given an opportunity to showcase works under our artistic development programme, The Incubator Programme sponsored by the Department of Arts and Culture, whose objective is to prepare semi-professional art practitioners for mainstream industry.
He also wrote and directed a hard-hitting stage play on homophobia and corrective rape in lesbians titled Amend. Last year he was entrusted with the responsibility of being a Stage and Production Manager for the South African team, curated by the State Theatre at the request of the Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthetwa. The team went on to represent the country at the People to People Cultural Exchange programme hosted in China.
SA Cultural Observatory’s Employment Report (one of the research products completed by the was featured and referenced in Gauteng Premier, David Makhura’s State of the Province Address. He noted that Gauteng is the creative pulse of African continent, citing the report’s findings that the total cultural/creative employment in South Africa accounted for 6.72% of all jobs in the country. Gauteng accounts for 146 729 (37%) of these jobs, an indication that the province has a comparative advantage in the creative sector.
Sporting events are more than moments of competition, national pride, and entertainment. They are economic activities that can stimulate tourism, create employment, support local businesses, and generate revenue across multiple sectors of the economy.
Umntwana womgquba a term traditionally used in the Nguni language that means “born out of wedlock,” but nowadays it is used to emphasise that one is born kwisintu. As lontwana, I look back on my own adventures: sometimes I pat myself on the back, and sometimes I wish I could redo them.
Each September, South Africa turns its attention to the rich cultural tapestry that defines our nation. Heritage Month is a time to honour the traditions, languages, histories, knowledge systems, customs and creative expressions that have been passed from generation to generation, while recognising that our heritage is not confined to the past.
My first encounter with heritage at the Mandela Bay Development Agency was, appropriately, somewhat uncomfortable. It began with cleaning. The Gale Monument, the Horse Memorial and the Queen Victoria statue became my first practical introduction to the business of preserving history.
