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Prize-winning Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina has died in Nairobi after a short illness at the age of 48. He won the Caine Prize for African writing in 2002 and was best known around the world for his satirical essay How to Write About Africa. Wainaina was also named among Time Magazine's 100 most influential people in 2014 for his gay rights activism.

In celebration of the establishment of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), the African Union and the Department of Arts and Culture will host a series of events to celebrate Africa Month throughout the month of May culminating in the celebration of Africa Day on the 25th May. These celebrations are aimed at encouraging nation building through unity and freedom from oppression.

The month of April is a significant month in South Africa as it brings the remembrance of its first democratic election back in 1994. With it, brings the exciting buzz of ‘freedom’ in the country, and what better way to show true liberation than by reflecting and witnessing the country’s cultural scene during the month of April

In 2018, the global gaming industry consisted of 2.3 billion consumers, who spent nearly US$ 138 billion on games. Research done two years ago showed that there were more than 11m gamers in South Africa.

The board of Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) has officially introduced and welcomed their new Chief Executive officer, Ashraf Johaardien who joined the organization on 01 March, 2019. He has taken over from the successful leadership and legacy of Nicola Danby, and then, Michelle Constant after two decades. Nonetheless, Ashraf’s fundamental background in artistry and arts administration has made him a suitable candidate for the position, and has given him the potential to drive BASA towards more success.

The report was aimed at exploring South Africa’s cultural goods trade with selected African countries between 2007 and 2017, with reference to the current cultural policy environment at the continental and regional level affecting such trade. The UNESCO (2009) Framework for Cultural Statistics is used to identify cultural goods, with trade data sourced from UN Comtrade (2018). This study is thus important in the light of South Africa’s signing of the Agreement (AfCFTA) to establish the Continental Free Trade Area in July 2018.

These past few months have seen some good momentum gained in providing direction to the research outputs of the South African Cultural Observatory. In the same vein, the inputs for the Research Agenda have expanded the research possibilities for the Observatory and the sector as a whole.

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.

The power of arts and culture to change minds was in sharp focus last week as South African finance minister Tito Mboweni outlined the country’s ‘soft power’ investment plan for 2019.

The council, management and staff of the South African State Theatre has learnt with shock about the death of actor, playwright, and director Sibusiso Khwinana. He was killed during an alleged robbery incident on Friday, 1 March 2019.

The British Council in partnership with Seed Academy and the Social Enterprise Academy are recruiting 120 creative social entrepreneurs in Cape Town and Johannesburg to take part in a fully-funded, high impact business accelerator programme. Applications open on Monday 18 February.

The South African Cultural Observatory's Employment Report was referenced in the Gaurteng State of the Province Address by Mr David Makhura.