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In late March, soon after President Ramaphosa announced several measures to limit the spread of coronavirus in the country, the South African Cultural Observatory undertook a study to evaluate the impact of Covid-19 and associated measures on the cultural and creative industries (CCIs). This took the form of both the online survey and economic impact assessment to find out what impact these measures were having on businesses and freelancers in the sector, the adaptation strategies, and the most useful kinds of support that could be provided. The study, the most comprehensive for the sector, was undertaken between March 30 and May 4, 2020 and provides an early assessment of the impact of the shutdown on the sector.

Cultural and creative industries are being recognised for their contribution to GDP, job creation and innovation

YouTube and ViacomCBS Networks Africa are teaming up with actor Idris Elba to host the Africa Day Benefit Concert At Home.

The SA Cultural Observatory report, the The Economic Mapping of the Cultural and Creative Industries in South Africa 2020, shows that over 1.136 million are employed in the sector. This represents 7% of all jobs in SA. These are figures before Covid-19 pandemic which will have a bearing on employment across the economy.

Cape Town was chosen for a pilot study because of its reputation as a creative city. The concept refers to clusters of creative firms, but also includes events and skills.

To our Friends, Colleagues, Artists, Venue Owners and Promoters and all those active in the Music Business community. This letter is a proposed checklist for all of you who want to do your best to use self-isolation to maximise our time to ensure we can come back into the world stronger than ever before.

Monday, the 6th of April 2020, will be the last day of accepting the applications for the COVID-19, Sports, Arts and Culture Relief Fund.

When normality returns, and South Africans are able to converge, gather and participate in various events and activities, it will perhaps be even more critical for the organisers to understand the economic value of these events.

In the previous Newsletter edition, we started sharing some interesting insights from our research. For the benefit of our new readers, it is perhaps worthwhile to share with them the reason for our existence.

Museums have a long, and sometimes controversial, history in South Africa. Cultural institutions, like museums, can be powerful in telling the “authorised” version of our histories, in shaping national identity and in building social cohesion, as well as contributing to education and research through their collection, archiving and conservation of artefacts.

The SA music industry is poorer today after the passing of Ladysmith Black Mambazo founder, Joseph Shabalala two months ago. His was inspiring story for a man who made his life a success in the industry from humble beginnings, including his life as a migrant worker.

Dr Esther Mahlangu’s memorable artistic exploits and talent make her stand out and continues to attract international recognition. Her work was recently featured at a Cape Town exhibition titled Abstractions of a Culture: Towards a Retrospective.