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Arts and culture
Introduction
The Department of Arts and Culture seeks to develop and preserve South African culture to ensure social cohesion and nation-building.
National symbols
National anthem
South Africa’s national anthem is a combined
version of Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika and The Call of
South Africa (Die Stem van Suid-Afrika). The Call
of South Africa was written by CJ Langenhoven
in May 1918. The music was composed by
Rev ML de Villiers in 1921. Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika
was composed in 1897 by Enoch Sontonga, a
Methodist mission schoolteacher.
The words of the first stanza were originally
written in isiXhosa as a hymn. Seven additional
stanzas in isiXhosa were later added by the poet
Samuel Mqhayi. It has been translated into most
of South Africa’s official languages.
The national anthem
Nkosi sikelel’ i Afrika
Maluphakanyisw’ uphondo lwayo,
Yizwa imithandazo yethu,
Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo.
Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso,
O fedise dintwa le matshwenyeho,
O se boloke,
O se boloke setjhaba sa heso,
Setjhaba sa South Afrika – South Afrika.
Uit die blou van onse hemel,
Uit die diepte van ons see,
Oor ons ewige gebergtes,
Waar die kranse antwoord gee.
Sounds the call to come together,
And united we shall stand,
Let us live and strive for freedom,
In South Africa our land.
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National flag
South Africa’s national flag was launched and used
for the first time on Freedom Day, 27 April 1994. The design and colours are a synopsis of the principal
elements of the country’s flag history.
The central design of the flag, beginning at the
flag-pole in a “V” form and flowing into a single
horizontal band to the outer edge of the fly, can
be interpreted as the convergence of diverse
elements within South African society, taking the
road ahead in unity. The flag was designed by the
State Herald.
When the flag is displayed vertically against
a wall, the red band should be to the left of the
viewer, with the hoist or the cord seam at the top. When it is displayed horizontally, the hoist should
be to the left of the viewer and the red band at the
top. When the flag is displayed next to or behind
the speaker at a meeting, it must be placed to the
speaker’s right. When it is placed elsewhere in
the meeting place, it should be to the right of the
audience.
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National coat of arms
South Africa’s coat of arms was launched on
Freedom Day, 27 April 2000.
A focal point of the coat of arms is the indigenous
secretary bird with its uplifted wings, crowned with an image of the rising sun. The sun
symbolises a life-giving force, and represents
the flight of darkness and the triumph of discovery, knowledge and understanding of things that
have been hidden. It also illuminates the new life
that is coming into being. An indigenous South
African flower, the protea, is placed below the
bird. It represents beauty, the aesthetic harmony
of the different cultures, and South Africa flowering
as a nation. The ears of wheat symbolise the
fertility of the land, while the tusks of the African
elephant, depicted in pairs to represent men and
women, also represent wisdom, steadfastness
and strength.
The shield, placed in the centre, signifies the
protection of South Africans from one generation
to the next. The spear and a knobkierie above it
are representative of the defence of peace rather
than the pursuit of war. This shield of
peace, which also brings to mind an
African drum, conveys the message
of a people imbued with a love of
culture. Its upper part is a shield
imaginatively represented by the
protea.
Contained within the shield are some of
the earliest representations of humanity. Those
depicted were the very first inhabitants of the
land, namely the Khoisan people. These figures
are derived from images on the Linton Stone, a
world-famous example of South African rock
art. The motto on the coat of arms, !ke e:/xarra//
ke, written in the Khoisan language of the /Xam
people, means “diverse people unite” or “people
who are different joining together”.
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National orders
National orders are the highest awards that the
country can bestow on individual South Africans
and eminent foreign leaders and personalities.
The Order of Mapungubwe is awarded to South
African citizens for excellence and exceptional
achievement.
The Order of the Baobab is awarded to South
African citizens for distinguished service in the
fields of business and the economy; science,
medicine and technological innovation; and
community service.
The Order of the Companions of OR Tambo is
awarded to heads of state and other dignitaries
for promoting peace, co-operation and friendship
towards South Africa.
The Order of Luthuli is awarded to South Africans
who have made a meaningful contribution to
the struggle for democracy, human rights, nation-
building, justice and peace, and conflict resolution.
The Order of Ikhamanga is awarded to South African citizens who have excelled in the fields of arts, culture, literature, music, journalism and sport.
The Order of Mendi for Bravery is awarded to South African citizens who have performed extraordinary acts of bravery.
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National symbols
South Africa’s national symbols are the:
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Arts and culture organisations
and institutions
National Heritage Council (NHC)
The National Heritage Council, a statutory body that aims to bring equity to heritage promotion and conservation, was officially constituted on 26 February 2004 in terms of the NHC Act, 1999 (Act 11 of 1999) [PDF]. The council creates an enabling environment for preserving, protecting and promoting South African heritage.
Its other objectives are to protect, preserve and promote the content and heritage that reside in orature to make it accessible and dynamic; to integrate living heritage into the council and all other heritage authorities and institutions at national, provincial and local level; to promote and protect indigenous knowledge systems (IKS); and to intensify support for promoting the history and culture of all South Africans.
During the 2007 Medium Term Expenditure Framework [PDF], the council developed, together with other heritage role-players, a heritage-development strategy to unlock the economic potential of the sector. The Heritage Charter examines the current state of heritage in South Africa as it manifests itself in the policies and activities of the following heritage institutions: libraries, archives, museums and records, monuments and historic sites, geographical names, national symbols, language and IKS. It also provides a framework of principles and mechanisms that should underpin the preservation, protection, promotion and transmission of heritage in the next five years. The NHC has been spearheading campaigns to revive the values of ubuntu.
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South African Heritage Resources Agency (Sahra)
The National Heritage Resources Act, 1999 (Act 25 of 1999) [PDF], established the South African Heriage Resources Agency to provide for the identification, protection, conservation, and promotion of South Africa’s heritage for the present and future generations.
The aims of Sahra are to introduce an integrated system for the identification, assessment and management of heritage resources and to enable provincial and local authorities to adopt powers to protect and manage them.
Sahra has established the National Heritage Resources Fund to provide financial assistance to an approved body or individual, for any project that contributes to the conservation and protection of South Africa’s national heritage resources.
Conservation categories include:
- national heritage sites, registers, areas
and objects
- protected areas
- structures of more than 60 years old
- burial grounds and graves
- fossils (palaeontology) and archaeology
- rock art
- historical shipwrecks.
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Theft of cultural heritage
South Africa is a signatory to the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property. South Africa is also in the process of becoming a signatory to the Unidroit Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects. These conventions ensure that the cultural property of signatory countries is protected internationally from theft and illicit trafficking.
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South African Geographical
Names Council (SAGNC)
The South African Geographical Names Council is an advisory body appointed by
the Minister of Arts and Culture in terms of the SAGNC Act, 1998 (Act 118 of 1998) [PDF]. The council
advises the minister on the transformation and
standardisation of official geographical names
in South Africa. The council has jurisdiction over
all names of geographical features and entities
falling within the territories over which the South
African Government has sovereignty or jurisdiction
acquired by treaty.
The following principles are adhered to:
- each individual feature or entity should have
only one official name
- the following types of geographical names
should be avoided:
- approved names of places elsewhere in
South Africa
- names of places in other countries, and
names of countries
- names that are blasphemous, indecent, offensive, vulgar, unaesthetic or embarrassing
- names that are discriminatory or derogatory
- names that may be regarded as an advertisement
for a particular product, service or
firm
- names of living persons.
Geographical names committees have been established
in all nine provinces. These committees
play an important role in standardising geographical
names. A list of all approved names is available
at http://sagns.dac.gov.za.
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National Arts Council of South Africa
(NAC)
The National Arts Council aims to:
- support arts practice by creating and providing
opportunities to achieve excellence in the arts,
within a climate of freedom
- achieve equity by redressing imbalances in the
allocation of resources
- promote and develop appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of the arts through strategies
that include education, information and
marketing
- enhance support for and recognition of the
arts by promoting and facilitating national and
international liaison between individuals and
institutions
- establish and recommend policy in the development, practice and funding of the arts.
It also offers bursaries to tertiary institutions for
undergraduate students. Individual bursaries are
offered for studies towards a postgraduate qualification in South Africa and abroad.
Over the last few years, the NAC has allocated
more than R500 000 towards bursaries for undergraduate and postgraduate students. In 2008, it
allocated R200 000 for the academic year. The
NAC also funds the Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and
Gauteng philharmonic orchestras and the Cape
Town Jazz Orchestra.
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Mmino
Mmino, a South Africa-Norwegian education and
music programme, hosted by the NAC in close
co-operation with the Norwegian Concert Institute, is the only funding programme in South Africa that
funds music projects exclusively.
Mmino aims to support projects with national
impact in the areas of music education, documentation, research and exchange, choral music and
festivals.
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Arts institutions
The following arts institutions assist to create a
sustainable performing arts industry based on
access, excellence, diversity and redress, and
encourage the development of the full range of
performing arts:
The institutions receive annual transfers from the Department of Arts and Culture, but also generate
revenue through entrance fees, donor assistance, sponsorships and rental income.
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Business and Arts South Africa (Basa)
Basa was founded in 1997 as a joint initiative of
government and the business sector. Registered as
a Section 21 company and a public-benefit organisation, Basa aims to promote mutually beneficial
and sustainable business and arts partnerships
that will benefit civil society in the long term.
Basa receives annual funding from the Department
of Arts and Culture to implement its
supporting grant scheme. It is designed to attract
funding or in-kind support from the business sector
by offering a grant to arts projects specifically
for additional marketing or other benefits for the
business sector.
In addition, Basa initiates or enters into
partnerships with programmes and projects
designed to mainstream the arts and lift their
public profile, including a range of media partnerships
and high-profile arts projects with
national reach. Basa boasts some 130 companies
as corporate members nationally. This number
fluctuates as companies merge and shift
their focus areas. The Business Day/Basa Awards are presented annually.
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Community art centres and
other cultural organisations
About 166 community art centres are in
operation, varying from community-initiated to
government-managed. The centres operate at
different levels, ranging from general socio-cultural
promotion, advanced programmes and
vocational training. The centres also vary from
craft centres, community halls and community
theatres. Many art centres are functioning
well and have made impressive contributions to
local socio-economic development. The Department of Arts and Culture supports programmes in
most needy centres that are community-initiated
or non-governmental. The National Task Team of
Community Art Centres has been established to
develop a framework that will address urgent and
pressing needs at community art centres.
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Arts and Culture Trust (ACT)
The Arts and Culture Trust is the oldest funding agency in democratic
South Africa. It was established to secure financial
and other resources for arts, culture and heritage;
and to project the needs and role of the sector into
the public domain. Its vision is to establish a self-sustaining perpetual fund for the development of
arts, culture and heritage in South Africa.
Its mission is to attract and provide funding
for the sustainable development and growth
of the arts, culture and heritage in South Africa, realised through mutually beneficial partnerships
between the corporate, public and cultural sectors
focused on making a positive difference to the
lives of all South Africans.
ACT is responsible for:
- developing and promoting arts, culture and heritage in general
- advancing artists and cultural and heritage
practitioners
- promoting arts, cultural and heritage
education
- constructing facilities and creating and developing an infrastructure for these
purposes.
Due regard is given to ensuring a spread of
projects across all the cultural and artistic disciplines,
including but not limited to arts administration, arts education, community art, festivals, heritage, craft, fine art, dance, music, theatre, literature, multidisciplinary and new media.
The annual ACT Awards recognise the significant
contributions made by communities, artists, administrators, educators and journalists towards
the development and advancement of arts and
culture in South Africa.
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National Heritage Council (NHC)
The NHC is a statutory organisation responsible
for heritage. The NHC’s core mandate is the co-ordination of the heritage sector to facilitate transformation of the sector, as well as funding civil-
society initiatives. The NHC has since its inception
facilitated the engagement of civil society on arts, culture and heritage.
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Arts and culture initiatives
Investing in Culture
The Investing in Culture Programme provides
the necessary skills to enable people to assume
greater responsibility for their future.
The programme aims to provide access to skills
and markets as a tool for urban regeneration, rural
development and job creation.
Investing in Culture is not meant to replace
or fund provincial and local arts and culture
programmes, nor substitute for the role of funding
organisations such as the NAC, National Film and
Video Foundation (NFVF), the provincial arts and
culture councils, and the NHC.
The programme develops capital by allocating
resources to ensure return on investments that
will fulfil the key objectives of the Department of Arts and Culture and the broader imperatives of
government.
Functions and activities include:
- ensuring the realisation of empowerment
opportunities through training and job creation
in the arts, culture and heritage sector
- potential sustainable economic growth through, among other things, music, arts and heritage
- building social cohesion
- promoting co-ordinated governance (across the
three tiers of government)
- capacity-building through support provided by
provincial co-ordinators
- contributing to the Expanded Public Works
Programme
- aligning projects with the Provincial Growth and
Development Strategy [PDF] and integrated development
plans.
The Department of Arts and Culture has, through
the Investing in Culture Programme, funded and
supported 394 projects to the tune of R200 million
since 2005. The programme created 7 374 jobs
and training opportunities, of which 45% of the
beneficiaries were women, 39% youth and 4%
were people with disabilities. Three of the department’s Investing in Culture projects have won
the Sowetan-Old Mutual Community Builder of
the Year Awards. The projects are the Ndhengeza
Xizambani Community Project, Kopanang Community
Project and Tinghwazi Arts and Crafts, based
at rural communities in the Mopani District Municipality, Limpopo.
Working with other members of the Jobs for
Growth Task Team, the Department of Arts and
Culture intends to establish Mzansi Store. The
envisaged Mzansi Store will market quality products in large quantities to meet the growing
demand for South African arts and craft products.
In up-scaling the Investing in Culture projects,
the department continues to develop relationships
with the private sector to market and sell
quality products that are made by the department’s projects ahead of the 2010 Soccer World
Cup and beyond. Shoprite-Checkers has pledged
to work with the department in selling the
products produced by these projects. The Strokes
of Genius portal, sponsored by Shoprite-Checkers
and supported by the departments of arts and
culture and trade and industry, also markets arts
and craft products.
The Investing in Culture Programme received
R100,06 million in 2008/09.
For more information about the Investing in Culture initiatives of the Department of Arts and Culture, contact the Chief Director: Investing in Culture, tel: 012 441 3073 or 012 441 3439.
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Legacy projects
Monuments, museums, plaques, outdoor art, heritage trails and other symbolic represen tations
create visible reminders of, and commemorate, the many aspects of South Africa’s past.
Government has initiated several national legacy
projects to establish commemorative symbols
of South Africa’s history and to celebrate its
heritage.
The legacy projects include the:
- Women’s Monument: On 9 August 2000, former
President Thabo Mbeki unveiled a monument at
the Union Buildings in Pretoria to commemorate
the contribution of the women of South Africa in
the struggle for freedom. The ceremony marked
the day, in 1956, when 20 000 women marched
to the Union Buildings to protest against government’s pass laws.
- Chief Albert Luthuli’s house in KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal: This house has been restored by
the Department of Arts and Culture as a museum
with a visitors’ interpretative centre. The project
also involved the unveiling of Chief Luthuli’s
sculpture at the KwaDukuza municipal grounds.
- Battle of Blood River/Ncome Project: Following
the unveiling of the Ncome Monument and Wall
of Remembrance on 16 December 1998, the Ncome Museum was opened on 26 November
1999. The structures honour the role played by
the Zulu nation in the battle.
- Samora Machel Project: The Samora Machel
Monument in Mbuzini, Mpumalanga, was
unveiled on 19 October 1998. The second phase
was completed in 2005.
- Nelson Mandela Museum: This museum in the
Eastern Cape was opened on 11 February 2000. It is being developed as a single component
comprising three elements, namely a museum
in Mthatha, a youth centre at Qunu, and a visitors’
centre in Mvezo, where former President
Mandela was born. The second phase was
completed in 2005.
- Constitution Hill Project: The Old Fort Prison in
Hillbrow, Johannesburg, was developed into
a multidimensional and multipurpose precinct
that houses the Constitutional Court (CC)
and accommodates various constitutional
commissions. The Constitution Hill Project
involved the development of the Constitutional
Hill precinct to accommodate the CC, the Constitution
Museum, the Women’s Jail, the Old Fort
and a commercial precinct.
- The Sarah Baartman National Heritage Site in Hankey in the Eastern Cape and the Sarah Baartman Human Rights Memorial in the Western Cape.
- Freedom Park Project: Construction of the Freedom Park Project, a memorial to the anti-apartheid struggle at Salvokop in Pretoria, began in 2002. It is expected to be completed in 2010. The first phase of the R560-million memorial site was handed over to government in March 2004. This phase, costing
R45 million, involved the design and construction of the Garden of Remembrance in honour of the country’s departed freedom fighters.
- The Khoisan Heritage and Culture Institution in Hankey, Kouga Municipality, as part of the Khoisan Legacy Project. An estimated
R5 million was allocated for the first phase.
Other projects underway are the 1981 Matola Raid Memorial in Maputo, Mozambique; the rehabilitation and development of the Lock Street women’s prison in East London into a museum; development of the former apartheid state security
Vlakplaas farm into a heritage memorial site; and the OR Tambo Memorial Project in Bizana in the Eastern Cape.
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Indigenous Music
and Oral History Project
The Department of Arts and Culture has partnerships with the universities of Venda, Fort Hare and Zululand. The mandate for these universities is not only to conduct research on indigenous music and instruments, but to also identify and collect all aspects of intangible cultural heritage in their provinces.
The department and the African Cultural Heritage Fund promote indigenous music by hosting regional, provincial and national competitions on indigenous dance and music called the Zindala Zombili National Dance and Music competitions. These competitions showcase the diverse indigenous music and dance in South Africa.
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Heritage Month celebrations
The Department of Arts and Culture is responsible for the Heritage Month celebrations. Heritage Month promotes and celebrates various aspects of South African heritage, in accordance with the adopted theme.
Provinces host various heritage activities during Heritage Month. These activities culminate in national Heritage Day, which is held on 24 September.
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Mosadi wa Konokono (Woman of Substance)
Mosadi wa Konokono is a flagship campaign of the Department of Arts and Culture. It is a socio-cultural-economic campaign that was conceptualised as a vehicle for elevating the profile of ordinary women in grassroots communities.
The campaign uses arts and culture to foster social cohesion and to nurture a spirit of economic self-determination. The campaign has also been created as a platform to enable the emergence of talented women and youth who are already instrumental in and proactively building their communities.
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Education and training
Training is critical for the development of arts and culture, to achieve both the developmental and economic potential of the sector.
The creative industries form part of the Media, Advertising, Publishing, Printing and Packaging Sector Education and Training Authority (Mappp-Seta).
Recognising the challenges facing this sector, the Mappp-Seta, in partnership with the departments of arts and culture and of labour, the NAC, and the NFVF, initiated the Creative Research Education and Training Enterprise South Africa (Create SA) Strategic Project to develop a comprehensive on-the-job training framework for
the creative industries. The project is funded by the National Skills Fund and the Department of Arts and Culture, and focuses on people who otherwise might not have had access to training opportunities.
The Artists in Schools Project places artists with a flair for education and teaching within schools wishing to offer arts curricula.
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Access to arts
The Arts, Social Development and Youth Programme is working towards greater arts access for all communities, particularly marginalised
groups. These groups include women, youth
in distress and people with disabilities.
One project supported under arts access
includes art therapy under the auspices of the Art
Therapy Centre.
The department launched the National Youth, Arts, Culture and Heritage Expressions Campaign
in May 2006 to coincide with the 30th anniversary
of the Soweto uprisings. This campaign facilitates
learnerships for disadvantaged youth in the technical
aspects of arts and culture management. The
aim is to broaden exposure to various aspects of
arts management, with a view to create sustainable
employment opportunities.
The pilot Art in Correctional Facilities Programme
(introduced in 2005) is a rehabilitative vehicle for
creative expression for offenders. It provides a
skills base that is intended to ease re-entry into
society.
The department, as part of extending the reach
of arts access, is seeking to include children under
the age of five who live with their mothers in
correctional facilities.
The department has also devised the Social
Cohesion Campaign that has cultural fluency as a
central component. This is aimed at engendering
a constructive socio-cultural dialogue to create a
nation that embraces cultural diversity and fosters
a unifying South African identity.
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Cultural tourism
Cultural tourism is one of the most rapidly growing
sectors of the multibillion-rand international
tourism industry, and is an area in which South
Africa is well placed to compete. Professional and
innovative museums, galleries and theatres are
key attractions for cultural tourists.
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Cultural villages
Most tourists visiting South Africa are eager to
explore the country’s cultural diversity. At the
same time, an increasing number of local tourists
want to learn more about the people they were
separated from under apartheid. (See Tourism)
Various projects around the country offer insight
into South Africa’s cultural wealth, ranging from
traditional dances and rituals in rural areas, to
excursions into the urban and township milieux
that give South Africa its defining features. These
include:
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Cultural industries
The Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for
South Africa (AsgiSA) has identified the creative
industries as one of the key areas in which South
Africa can achieve the goals of job creation and
greater economic growth in South Africa.
The Cultural Industries Growth Strategy capitalises on the economic potential of the craft, music, film, publishing and design industries. The Department of Arts and Culture provides support in the
form of financing, management capacity, advocacy and networking, and by developing public-private partnerships and other initiatives that use
culture as a tool for urban regeneration.
Worldwide, the turnover of cultural industries
makes this the fifth-largest economic sector, which
comprises design, the performing arts, dance, film, television, multimedia, cultural heritage, cultural
tourism, visual arts, crafts, music and publishing.
The Department of Arts and Culture has entered
into partnership with significant stakeholders to
map the cultural industries.
To become part of the cultural industries of South Africa contact the Chief Directorate: Cultural Development at tel: 012 441 3062 or 012 441 3047.
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International relations
The Department of Arts and Culture’s participation in various activities in the international cultural arena helps to identify, promote and exploit mutually beneficial partnerships for social and economic development in South Africa.
Together with the African Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad), South Africa has embarked on the road to restoring, preserving and protecting African heritage.
The department’s mandate is to ensure that South African talent takes its rightful place on the global stage and to use artistry as a tool for economic self-liberation. Bilateral agreements have been signed with France, the United Kingdom (UK), China, Cuba, India, New Zealand and Belarus. South Africa ratified the Convention on the Promotion and Protection of Cultural Diversity in 2006, becoming the 35th member country to do so.
Provincial roadshows to promote the implementation of the convention are undertaken by the department with all spheres of government, the Department of Arts and Culture’s associated
institutions as well as with civil society.
In March 2008, the department participated in the World Intellectual Property Organisation: Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (WIPO SCCR) meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss and finalise the two treaties on the protection of audiovisual performances and broadcasting organisations.
South Africa hosted the first WIPO international seminar on the role of intellectual property
on development.
South Africa’s membership of the Commonwealth Foundation was successfully launched and well attended by the diplomatic corps, non-governmental organisations, government and
other guests.
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Africa and Middle East South African Development Community (SADC) Visual Arts Exhibition
The Department of Arts and Culture in partnership with the Development Bank of Southern Africa hosted the SADC Visual Arts Exhibition. In 2007, countries such as Botswana and Lesotho took part.
In 2008, Madagascar and Angola joined South African artists and as an extension of the exhibition, the art works were also exhibited at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in March 2008.
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African Cultural Music and Dance Festival
The Department of Arts and Culture planned to host a cultural festival in August 2008.
Fifteen countries from Africa were invited to participate, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali, Botswana and Kenya.
The festival aimed to research and review the impact of the role of culture on issues such as social cohesion, social justice, conflict resolution, xenophobia, tolerance and respect for
cultural diversity.
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Bilateral co-operation
Brazil
In building relations with Brazil, the Department of Arts and Culture participated in the 2007 Art Mundi Craft Exhibition that took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The exhibition is a traditional international arts and craft event organised in the southern region of Brazil, counting on the presence of about 1 000 artists per edition, including folklore presentations and themed houses.
The exhibition attracts visitors from Latin America and other foreign countries.
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India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA)
The IBSA countries signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Cultural Co-operation during the IBSA Summit that was held in Pretoria at the Presidential Guest House in September 2007.
South Africa took part in the IBSA cultural festival that was held in Brazil in 2007 and was represented by the Phambili Marimba Cultural Group.
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China
The Department of Arts and Culture and Ministry of Culture in China enjoy good cultural relations. The two countries have had numerous cultural exchanges under the auspices of the Programme of Co-operation signed in 2001 and 2006.
1 January 2008 marked the 10th anniversary of the establishment of formal bilateral relations between South Africa and the People’s Republic
of China.
The two countries celebrated this event through numerous cultural activities such as song and dance, film festivals, art exhibitions and
fashion shows.
The Department of Arts and Culture also used this opportunity to market South African arts and culture and to create a market for South
African artists.
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India
The Minister of Arts and Culture, Dr Pallo Jordan, visited his Indian counterpart, Ms Ambika Soni, to
discuss the renewal of the Programme of Co-operation
in the fields of arts and culture between the
two countries, which expired in 2006.
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United Kingdom
In 2007, 21 curators were sent to the UK for curatorship
training under the South Africa-UK curatorship
programme. A further 10 underwent training
in 2008.
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Arts festivals
The range of arts festivals around South Africa
offers visitors the opportunity to combine their
pursuit of culture with sightseeing, wine tasting, beach visits, wildlife viewing, history, palaeo-anthropology and relaxing in some of South
Africa’s most beautiful spots.
The National Arts Festival, held annually in
Grahamstown, Eastern Cape, is one of the largest
and most diverse arts gatherings of its kind staged
in Africa.
It showcases southern African talent in all arts
disciplines and there is also growing interest and
participation from artists from the rest of Africa
and the world.
In 2008, the festival focused on film and the
film programme included a special focus on films, including Michael Raeburn’s Triomf, Rayda Jacobs’
Confessions of a Gambler, John Kani’s Nothing But
The Truth, Gavin Hood’s Rendition and Vincent
Cox’s Voice in the Dark.
The Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees is a
vibrant festival for the performing arts, presented
mainly, but not exclusively, in Afrikaans. It is held
annually in Oudtshoorn in the first quarter of the
year.
Disciplines include drama, cabaret and contemporary and classical music.
The Arts Alive International Festival, held in
Johannesburg, is an annual festival of music, dance, theatre and visual arts. Over the years, Arts
Alive has become synonymous with high-quality
performances by artists from around the globe.
Heritage-reclamation festivals are also held at
local level in communities destroyed by apartheid, such as Vrededorp (Fietas) in Johannesburg.
The Mangaung Cultural Festival (Macufe) in
Bloemfontein is gaining status as one of the
biggest cultural tourism events in southern Africa.
Aardklop, held annually in Potchefstroom, North
West, is inherently Afrikaans, but universal in character. The festival provides a platform for the creativity
and talent of local artists.
Other festivals that attract visitors at both
national and international level are:
- the Joy of Jazz
International Festival
- Oppikoppi
- Calabash
- the One
City Festival in Taung, North West
- the Awesome
Africa Music Festival in Durban
- the Spier Summer Festival at Spier Estate in the Western Cape
- the Windybrow Theatre Festival in Johannesburg.
The Department of Arts and Culture and the
NAC support numerous festivals throughout South
Africa, including the Cape Town International Jazz
Festival, Port St Johns Festival, Splashy Fen Music Festival in Durban and the National Arts Festival
in Grahamstown.
The departments of arts and culture and of environmental
affairs and tourism have established a
forum of festival directors to maximise tourism
opportunities.
For more information about Arts and Culture festivals in South Africa, please contact the Chief Directorate: Arts and Culture in Society at tel: 012 441 3021 or 012 441 3050.
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Theatre
The theatre scene in South Africa is vibrant, with
many active spaces across the country offering
everything from indigenous drama, music, dance,
cabaret and satire, to West End and Broadway hits, classical music, opera and ballet.
South African theatre is internationally acclaimed as unique and top-class.
Apart from early productions, notably the ground-breaking musical King Kong in the 1960s, theatre created in South Africa by South Africans only began to make an impact with the advent of Johannesburg’s innovative Market Theatre in the mid-1970s, just as the cultural, sporting and academic boycott was taking hold.
The Market Theatre was formally opened on
21 June 1976. It was there that Johannesburg theatregoers were introduced to the work of most of South Africa’s leading playwrights and directors, including Welcome Msomi, Zanemvula (Zakes) Mda, Pieter-Dirk Uys, Gibson Kente, Paul Slabolepszy, Mbongeni Ngema, Adam Small, PG du Plessis, Kessie Govender, Bartho Smit, Maishe Maponya, Percy Mtwa, Deon Opperman, Reza de Wet, Matsemela Manaka and many others.
It was to the Market Theatre that Athol Fugard brought his A Lesson from Aloes, Master Harold … and the Boys, The Road to Mecca, A Place with the Pigs, My Children! My Africa! and Playland. At the Market, Barney Simon and his actors developed in workshop Cincinatti – Scenes from City Life, Call Me Woman, Black Dog Inj’emnyana, Outers, Born in the RSA and Woza Albert!
The performing arts marketed South Africa to overseas audiences most effectively during the 1980s, specifically through theatre and musical productions.
However, with the new century underway, the pendulum is swinging back, and, in nurseries like the Market Theatre Laboratory, the Liberty Theatre on the Square’s Saturday Children’s Theatre workshops, the Cape Town Theatre Lab and the
Johannesburg Youth Theatre, new shoots of talent are burgeoning and blooming, nurtured by events like the Market’s community and young writers’ festivals.
[Top]
Music
South African music is characterised by its fusion of diverse musical forms. South Africa has nurtured the development of an array of distinctive styles of music, and it has contributed significantly to music heard on the continent.
These styles range from South African jazz, which describes a range of music from early marabi-inspired sounds in the late 1930s and 1940s by bands like the Merry Blackbirds Orchestra, to current performers such as trumpeter Hugh Masekela, Jonas Gwangwa, Abdullah Ibrahim, Jimmy Dludlu, Judith Sephuma and others.
Kwaito and hip-hop are very popular. They combine elements of rap, reggae and other musical styles into a distinctly South African style. Popular kwaito musicians include Chomee, Elvovo, Kabelo, Zola, Skwatta Kamp, Mandoza, DJ Cleo, Bricks and Kelly Khumalo. He does hiphop.
Music is one of the key cultural industries identified in the Cultural Industrial Growth Strategy Report, and government has committed itself to harnessing its potential. In addition to its cultural value, music plays an important economic role in the country, generating significant copyright revenue.
In music, the department has solid foundations to build on. These include the annual South African Music Week, the in-school education programme run in conjunction with the Department of Education, and the Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition.
The Department of Arts and Culture funds a number of musical ensembles directly and indirectly, through the NAC. The department funded the Johannesburg Philharmonic Orchestra to attend the Berlin Orchestral Conference in April 2008. The South African Musical Education Training Programme and the Music is a Great Investment Youth Orchestra was also funded in 2008.
The launch of the Association of Independent Record Companies of South Africa (AIRCO) will chart a new paradigm for the recording industry and give artists easier access. The Department of Arts and Culture strengthened AIRCO by supporting it to attend Midem (Music Market International) to join discussions on global music industry development and other trends with their counterparts from the UK, United States of America (USA), Australia, Canada, Japan, the European Union, New Zealand and Brazil.
South African music has earned a strong position in the world market. In 2008, the Soweto Gospel Choir was nominated for a third Grammy Award – with two wins already under its belt. Live at the Nelson Mandela Theatre, the choir’s latest album, was nominated in the Best Contemporary
World Music Album (Vocal or Instrumental). The
song, Down to Earth, was nominated for Best
Motion Picture Song. It’s the closing number in
the Disney movie, Wall-E, recorded by British
musician Peter Gabriel and the Soweto Gospel Choir.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo was also nominated
again for two Grammy Awards. The group was
nominated in the Best Contemporary World Music
CD category and Best Sound Production category. In 2008 Fikile Mvinjelwa, an outstanding baritone
from Cape Town, performed the lead in Rigoletto
at the New York Metropolitan Opera.
Figures from the Recording Industry of
South Africa show that the industry as a
whole grew by 2,4% between 2006 and
2007. The total industry sales rose from
R996 million in 2006 to R1 020 million in 2007.
Midem 2008
Midem is an international music market, held annually in France. The event is also designed
to provide opportunities for business networking.
South Africa had its first pavilion at Midem in
January 2005.
In 2008, the department provided support both
financially and in-kind to about 70 companies to
participate. The Midem project is part of the ministerial
projects of “Taking South African Music to
the World”.
[Top]
South African Music Week
The South African Music Week is an annual project
that celebrates South African music on radio, television
and through live events in the community. The project is considered the largest platform for
developing South Africa’s live and recording music
industry through broadcasting, workshops, awareness
and the promotion of local music products.
During the music week, many broadcasters
increase airplay of South African music, providing
artists with a platform to market their products and
providing income in the form of royalties to copyright
owners.
[Top]
Moshito Music Conference and Exhibition
Moshito is aimed at promoting collaboration
among players from both the private and the
public sectors.
The event is designed to provide opportunities
for business networking, information
exchange, music business education, promotion
and product development for national
music producers, performers, individuals and
entities providing support services, as well as to strenghten business opportunities for the music
industry and related media.
[Top]
Blank-recording media levy
The Music Industry Task Team has recommended
the implementation of a blank-tape levy to curb
piracy. Through this system, a levy is charged on
blank recording carriers, and in some cases also
on recording equipment. The principles on which
these levies have been established, and the levels
at which they have been set, have often been
ambiguous.
In most countries, the legislation on blank levies
includes a provision that a proportion of the money
collected should be used for collective cultural
purposes.
The Department of Arts and Culture is conducting
research and feasibility studies on issues
pertaining to a blank-tape levy for the South
African music industry.
[Top]
Support for the Electronic
Music Southern African
Electronic Music Conference
The electronic music sector is one of the
strategic platforms for growth of the local music
industry. The sector has shown its strength in
appealing to the youth market in terms of music
sales.
In 2006, the Department of Arts and Culture for
the first time entered into a partnership with DJU, a
body formed by individual DJs and music industry
practitioners to address the plight of aspiring practitioners
through skills development.
The partnership has strengthened the efforts
of DJU and the conference, and played a critical
role in increasing the scale at which the project
was pitched, thus allowing many aspiring music
producers to be accommodated. The 2008 conference
was held in July.
[Top]
South African Music Awards (Samas)
The 14th annual Sama ceremony took place in
May 2008. Categories and winners included:
- Album of the Year: Freshlyground – Macheri
- Best Male Solo Artist: Hip Hop Pantsula – Acceptance Speech
- Best Female Solo: Karen Zoid – Postmodern World
- Best Duo/Group: Freshlyground – Macheri
- MTN Record of the Year: DJ Sdunkero – Maputo Song.
[Top]
Indigenous music
The department funds the annual National Traditional Dance and Music Festival, called Zindala Zombili, under the auspices of the African Cultural Heritage Trust.
This platform showcases and promotes the rich and diverse indigenous traditional dance and music of South Africa.
The festival entails 22 regional and eight provincial competitions, culminating in a national
festival.
To be part of the Zindala Zombili dance festival, contact the Chief Directorate: Heritage at tel: 012 441 3067 or 012 441 3550.
For more information on music, please contact the Chief Directorate: Cultural Development at tel: 012 441 3062 or 012 441 3585.
[Top]
Dance
South African dance is unique in its vitality and energy. More and more South African dance companies, individual dancers and choreographers are being invited to perform at festivals throughout Europe, Australia and the USA.
Contemporary work ranges from normal preconceptions of movement and performance art or performance theatre to the completely unconventional.
Added to this is the African experience, which includes traditional dance inspired by wedding ceremonies, battles, rituals and the trifles of everyday life. An informal but highly versatile performance venue in Johannesburg, The Dance Factory, provides a permanent platform for a variety of dance and movement groups.
The Wits Theatre (part of the University of the Witwatersrand) is also a popular dance venue. It is home to the annual First National Bank Dance Umbrella.
In 2008, the Dance Umbrella celebrated 20 years of presenting new contemporary choreography and dance in Johannesburg. The
festival featured choreographers and companies from all over South Africa, and presented work ranging from community-based/youth groups, young up-and-coming choreographers and new commissioned work from South African artists to international companies. It has been the main “stepping stone” for many South African choreographers who now work internationally.
The Cape Town City Ballet, started in 1934 as the University of Cape Town Ballet Company, is the oldest ballet company in the country.
The largest ballet company is the South African Ballet Theatre, situated in Johannesburg.
The Department of Arts and Culture is working towards the development of a theatre and dance strategy for the development and sustainability of the sector. The project will culminate in the establishment of a national committee to work hand in hand with government on sustaining the sector. In the past year, the department undertook and concluded research on these sectors. This will be followed by theatre izimbizo in all the nine provinces. The purpose of these izimbizo will be to bring together the sector and gather information in preparation for a national conference where the theatre and dance sectors can nominate the national theatre and dance working committees.
[Top]
Visual arts
Art galleries in South Africa’s major cities (such as the Durban Art Gallery in KwaZulu-Natal; the Johannesburg Art Gallery in Gauteng; the South African National Gallery in Cape Town; and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape) display collections of indigenous, historical and contemporary work.
Universities also play an important role in acquiring artwork of national interest.
These include collections housed in the Gertrude Posel Gallery of the University of the Witwatersrand, the Unisa Art Gallery in Pretoria, the Edoardo Villa Museum and other galleries at the University of Pretoria, and a collection of contemporary Indian art at the University of Durban-Westville.
Corporate collections of national
interest include those of Standard Bank, Amalgamated Banks of South Africa (Absa) and the MTN cellular phone network.
The Department of Arts and Culture supports a number of projects that promote the visual arts. These range from arts publications and women-empowerment programmes to national and international exhibitions and infrastructure funding.
The Department of Arts and Culture’s art collection has been restored and the works are displayed in the building occupied by the department.
The department is also supporting women in the
visual arts. In August 2008, it recognised female
artists for excellence in this field.
There was also an exhibition by women at
Museum Africa. The Department of Arts and
Culture will be embarking on an audit of the visual
arts sector to identify areas for skills training, job
creation and policy development.
The Visual Century Project, conceived by the
South African-born CEO of the National Arts Gallery
in Oslo, Norway, is undertaking research on the
visual arts in South Africa over the last century. The
project will involve exhibitions at all major galleries, publications and documentary films.
To be part of the Visual Arts initiatives of the Department of Arts and Culture, contact the Chief Directorate: Cultural Development at tel: 012 441 3062 or 012 441 3611.
[Top]
Photography
With its scenic beauty, abundant wildlife, diversity
of cultures and rich historical heritage, South
Africa is a photographer’s paradise. Many South
African photographers have been acclaimed for
their work, which features in coffee-table books, documentaries, local and overseas exhibitions, magazines and newspapers.
National and international photographic
exhibitions and competitions are held in South Africa
annually, and various national awards are bestowed
on local photographers. The Agfa Wildlife and Environment
Photographic Awards, presented for the
first time in 1981, have become one of Africa’s most
prestigious wildlife photographic competitions, attracting entries from top wildlife photographers, not only from Africa, but across the world.
[Top]
Architecture
South Africa has a rich architectural heritage to
which all the cultural groups in the country have
contributed. Through the centuries, a trend in
South Africa’s architectural style has developed, which has been referred to as an innovative marrying
of traditions.
Today, this is evident in the variety of architectural
structures found all over the country, ranging
from humble dwellings, historical homesteads and
public buildings, to modern commercial buildings
reflecting state-of-the-art technology and designs
that match the best in the world. Schools of
architecture exist within various South African
universities. Sahra conserves buildings of historical
or architectural value. More than 4 000 buildings,
sites and other objects (including trees) have
been declared national monuments.
Heritage South Africa is a non-profit private
organisation that conserves South Africa’s variety
of architectural gems.
[Top]
Rock art
There are many traces of ancient cultures that
existed in the country in the distant past. Experts
estimate that there are 250 000 rock-art sites
south of the Zambezi.
The San people left a priceless and unique
collection of Stone Age paintings and engravings
in South Africa, which is also the largest of its type
in the world.
The mountains, especially the Drakensberg
range and those in the Cape, are home to fascinating
rock-art panels.
Rock engravings are scattered on flat rock
surfaces and boulders throughout the interior. The
artworks depict mainly hunter-gatherers and their
relationship with the animal world and historical
events, as well as interaction with and observation
of newcomers encroaching upon their living
space. Indigenous people with spears and Nguni
cattle, Khoikhoin fat-tailed sheep, European
settlers on horseback with rifles and wagons, and
ships and soldiers in uniform were captured in
surprising detail.
Immortalised visions of the artists’ spiritual
world are found on the sandstone canvases.
These depict complex symbols and metaphors to
illustrate the supernatural powers and potency
they received from nature.
The oldest dated rock art in South Africa, an engraved stone 10 200 years old, was discovered
in a living floor at the Wonderwerk Cave near
Kuruman in the Northern Cape.
The oldest painted stones (6 400 years) were
recovered at Boomplaas Cave in the Cango Valley near Oudtshoorn.
Three painted stones were also found at the
Klasies River Caves, which yielded the second-oldest
painted stone, dating back 3 900 years.
The Department of Arts and Culture supports
a number of projects, including a rock-heritage
project in Clanwilliam in the Western Cape.
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Crafts
The Department of Trade and Industry estimates that South Africa’s craft subsector alone contributes about R2 billion or 0,14% to South Africa’s gross domestic product annually, providing jobs and income for around 38 000 people through at least 7 000 small enterprises. The South African craft sector is developing in leaps and bounds, clearly defining its positioning as an important second economy. Its growth areas largely create jobs and opportunities for rural and inner-city urban women in South Africa.
The Annual Beautiful Things Craft Supermarket continues to provide market access for this young industry. The Department of Arts and Culture Craft Emporium and retail outlets will provide yet another platform for craft development in this country. It is envisaged that the Craft Emporium will provide a platform to bridge the existing the gap between craft producers and the marketplace.
The Department of Arts and Culture is also running a special ministerial project of craft competitions in the genres of textile and embroidery and indigenous clay pottery to discover new talent. In recognition of the wealth of knowledge, spiritual endowment, knowledge of VhaVenda IKS, the department spearheaded the opening of a rural-based arts and craft gallery.
The Vhutsila a vhu Tibiwi Art and Craft Gallery, is a realisation of a dream come true for the ideals of skills development and preservation of heritage and IKS in the Vhembe district.
The department has craft projects in all nine provinces. The products of these and other projects can be viewed at a number of venues, including two state-assisted outlets at the Bus Factory in Newtown, Johannesburg, and the Boardwalk in
Port Elizabeth.
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Design
The Department of Arts and Culture has launched a number of initiatives aimed at creating centres of expertise. These have promoted collaborative ventures between the private and public sectors in areas of product design and the use of computer-aided design (CAD) engineering. The initiatives involve:
- a partnership with the South African Fashion Week on developmental initiatives to address the Second Economy
- established designers facilitating workshops to unearth new talent and fuse design with craft
- the National Product Development Centre at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), which operates within a national framework, optimising the contributions of service-providers throughout the country in the area of design technology
- the CAD initiative at the CSIR, which is linked to the technology station at the Free State University of Technology and similar institutions in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape
- the Cape Craft and Design Institute
- the awarding of design learnerships through
Create SA to help emerging designers
- the annual Design Indaba Conference and Expo held in Cape Town in February. The indaba is regarded as one of the premier design events in the world. The expo is a gallery, a marketplace, a school and a theatre featuring the finest original South African design, covering everything from homeware and jewellery to architecture, fashion, film, multimedia and graphic design.
[Top]
Literature
South Africa has a rich and vibrant literary heritage and its writers are recognised and celebrated across the world. South Africa is the only country in sub-Saharan Africa to boast two laureates for literature, namely JM Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer.
The net turnover of the book sector was estimated at about R5 billion in 2007. This included about R3,2 billion earned through publishing and R1,8 billion from book sales.
The new pop culture in poetry, often referred to as “spoken word poetry”, is one of the most celebrated art forms throughout the country and beyond. Poets such as Lesego Rampolokeng, Lebogang Mashile, Kgafela oa Magogodi, Blaq Pearl, Jessica Mbangeni and Mark Manaka are household names in the genre. There are regular platforms created to give these poets opportunities to hone their skills.
The current generation of writers is also making their mark on the world stage, with writers such as Zakes Mda, Niq Mhlongo and the late K Sello Duiker having their novels translated into languages such as Dutch, German and Spanish. The youngest winner of the Noma Award, the most coveted literary award on the continent, is Lebogang Mashile, a vibrant South African poetess. A young writer from KwaZulu-Natal, John van der Ruit, debuted with Spud in 2005, a novel that sold more than 130 000 copies in less than three years, thus breaking all records for a South African novel.
The past three years have recorded a rapid
growth in the South African book sector. The establishment
of the South African Book Development
Council (SABDC), which was launched in June
2007, has created a platform for the book industry
to develop an integrated growth strategy. Among
other accomplishments, the SABDC has been able
to consolidate industry indicators that are fundamental
in the development of the sector. One of
the major projects of the SABDC is the development
of the Draft Framework for the National Book
Policy to serve as a legislative framework to guide
growth and development strategies in the book
sector.
The Cape Town International Book Fair has in
just two years become the biggest gathering for
the book industry in South Africa. The second
book fair in June 2007 attracted more than
49 000 people from different countries around the
world. Time of the Writer and Poetry Africa literary
festivals have been in existence for more than a
decade and continue to attract participants from
different parts of the world.
WorldFest, a literary component of the
Grahamstown Arts Festival, focuses on promoting
literature in indigenous languages. The Johannesburg and the Franschoek literary festivals are
welcome additions to the growing literary culture
in South Africa.
In December 2005, the Write Associates, an independent communication and arts-and-culture event-management company, supported
the Department of Arts and Culture in inaugurating
the South African Literary Awards. Since their
establishment three years ago, the awards have
developed to include categories such as Literary Lifetime Achievement Awards, the National
Poet Laureate Prize, the K Sello Duiker Award for
Young Novelist, Literary Journalism Award and
many other categories. Other awards currently
in existence include the Sunday Times Literary
Awards, the MNET Awards and the BTA/Anglo Platinum
Short Story Award.
Magazines and literary journals have always
played a pivotal role in the development of the
South African literary contours. In the recent past, a number of literary magazines and journals have
emerged and continue to provide regular publishing
space for both seasoned and budding writers.
A number of writers contribute to publications
such as Chimurenga, Timbila, Botsotso, Afropolitan,
Words, Baobab and New Contrast. These journals
create a platform for emerging writers to hone
their skills while also opening space for literary
criticism.
The Department of Arts and Culture allocated a
substantial budget to the National Library to reprint
some out-of-print literary classics in indigenous
languages. This process involves public consultations
where members of the public are invited
to identify and recommend books they regard as
classics in their own languages. The project has
already triggered a lot of enthusiastic debate, thus
opening a national discourse on “what makes a
classic”.
This project was launched during the opening
of the new National Library building late in 2008. The National Library is another effort to ensure
better access to books and enhance the culture of
reading and writing in society.
On 18 May 2008, the Department of Arts and
Culture, in collaboration with the Commonwealth
Foundation, hosted the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize in Franschhoek, Western Cape. South Africa
was chosen among 53 Commonwealth member
states to host the prize ceremony. South Africa
was the second African country after Ghana (2001)
to host this prestigious occasion. The previous
winners of the prize included Nadine Gordimer, JM
Coetzee, Zakes Mda, Maxine Case, Shaun Johnson
and the late K Sello Duiker.
The Department of Arts and Culture, as the
custodian of the nation’s heritage, embraces its
diverse cultures and encourages the promotion, preservation and use of various languages in both
oral and written forms of literature. The publication
of books is a critical vehicle for developing
and preserving languages and literature to ensure
social cohesion.
There is an English literary museum in
Grahamstown and an Afrikaans museum in Bloemfontein.
The Centre for African Literary Studies at
the University of KwaZulu-Natal, is home to the
Bernth Lindfors Collection of African literature. The centre is committed to preserving and adding
to the Collection to maintain the largest library of
African literature on the continent.
[Top]
Film
At the dawn of the 20th century, South Africa was
the site of the earliest films ever shot. The Anglo-Boer/South African War of 1899 to 1902 was the
first-ever war to be filmed.
South Africa continues to participate in, among other festivals, the Cannes Film Festival. This has helped to catapult the film industry into the world cinema fraternity. The department is assisting the Federation of Pan-African Film Producers while it is headquartered in South Africa, following the Pan-African Film Summit that South Africa hosted in 2006. This body provides a creative home for
film-makers from the African continent and serves as a marketing platform for African films on the continent.
South Africa has now risen from being a
film-maker destination to a film-producing country.
The National Film and Video Foundation was established to develop and promote the film and video industry in South Africa. It provides for and encourages the creation of opportunities for people from disadvantaged communities to participate in the industry. The foundation also promotes local film and video products, supports the development of and access to the industry and addresses historical imbalances in infrastructure skills and resources in the industry.
Developing and producing local content in genres with wide appeal is a high priority for the foundation. Research has begun on a national strategy for film education and training, and to develop sector-information systems to measure sector performance and the related economic and job-multiplier effects.
A revised rebate for foreign and local film and television production was launched in March 2008.
The new film and television production incentive comprises the Location Film and Television Production Scheme, and the South African Film and Television Production and Co-Production Scheme. The incentive is intended to increase local content generation and improve location competitiveness for filming in South Africa.
The scheme replaced the Large Budget Film
and Television Production Rebate, which the Department of Trade and Industry implemented in 2004.
This component is only available to foreign-owned productions with Qualifying South African Production Expenditure (QSAPE) of R12 million and above.
It provides a rebate of 15% of the QSAPE to qualifying productions in the following formats: feature films, telemovies, television drama series, documentaries, animation and short-form animations. Its aim is to attract large-budget overseas film and television productions to South Africa.
The three largest film distributors in South Africa are Ster-Kinekor, United International Pictures and Nu-Metro. Ster-Kinekor has a specialised art circuit called Cinema Nouveau with theatres in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria.
Film festivals include the Cape Winelands International Film Festival; the Durban Film Festival; the Apollo Film Festival in Victoria West; the Three Continents Film Festival (specialising in African, South American and Asian films); the Soweto Film Festival; and the Encounters Documentary Festival, which alternates between Cape Town and Johannesburg
[Top]
Film and Publication Board (FPB)
The Film and Publication Board was established by the Film and Publications Act, 1996 (Act 65 of 1996) [PDF], to:
- regulate the creation, production, possession and distribution of certain publications and films by means of classification, the imposition of age restrictions and giving consumer advice
- make punishable the exploitive use of children in pornographic publications, films or on the Internet.
During 2008/09, R50,9 billion was allocated to the FBP.
The FPB assists the public to make informed choices about whether a particular film is appropriate by displaying guidelines, which identify classifiable elements such as strong language, violence, sex, nudity, drug abuse, blasphemy and religious prejudice.
The board also alerts the public, through age restrictions and consumer advice, about the frequency and intensity of these classifiable elements in a particular film.
Any person who distributes or exhibits a film or interactive computer game in South Africa must first register with the board as a distributor or exhibitor of films or interactive games. Any film intended for distribution or exhibition must first be
submitted to the board for classification in terms
of the Film and Publications Act, 1996. To monitor
distributors on-site and to ensure that films are
distributed in compliance with the provisions of the
Act, the board has appointed compliance monitors. They advise distributors and exhibitors of films
and interactive games of the Act’s requirements
and ensure that all products display the classification
reference number, age restriction, consumer
advice and such other conditions as may have
been imposed by the board. The Film and Publications Act, 1996 recognises the right of adults
to freedom of expression, except with respect to
child pornography, and requires the board to intervene
where there is a risk of harm to children.
Child pornography is defined as any image, however created, or any description of a person, real or simulated, who is depicted or described
as being under the age of 18 years, engaged
in sexual conduct; participating in or assisting
another person to participate in sexual conduct;
or showing or describing the body, or parts of the
body, of such a person in a manner that amounts
to sexual exploitation.
The board is running a national anti-child-pornography campaign to educate learners of ways
to avoid victimisation. The board has a toll-free number (0800 148 148) to report child-pornography
websites.
In July 2008, the FPB launched a hotline website that affords members of the public an online opportunity
to anonymously report any unsolicited child
pornography or sexual abuse images discovered
on the Internet. The hotline is available 24/7.
The website, a first of its kind on the African
continent, is also intended to alert Internet service
providers to criminal activities, relating to child
pornography and/or sexual abuse images hosted
on their servers or distributed through their infrastructure.
In June 2008, the Department of Arts
and Culture held the National Indaba on Preventing
the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children
and Combating Child Pornography, which was
attended by various stakeholders.
By June 2008, the Film and Publications
Amendment Bill [PDF] was close to finality. The Bill will increase the FPB’s capacity and make the department’s endeavour to protect children from abuse
even more effective.
[Top]
Ministerial Task Team on
Child Pornography
The Ministerial Task Team on Child Pornography
was established in December 2006.
The task team has forged strategic partnerships
with mobile phone operators and Internet service
providers, the SABC and other government departments.
It has assessed the work done by all these
institutions to help in the fight against child pornography. To assist in the task, the FPB commissioned
the Human Sciences Research Council to conduct
research on the extent of child pornography in
South Africa and on the capacity to deal with it in
the form of laws, policies and institutions.
In May 2008, the Department of Home Affairs presented the findings and recommendations of
the three research reports conducted:
[Top]
Museums
Museums are the windows to the natural and
cultural heritage of a country. South Africa can
justifiably be called the museum country of Africa, with the earliest of its museums dating back to the
first half of the 19th century.
Today, more than 300 of the approximately
1 000 museums in Africa are situated in South
Africa. They range from museums of geology, history, the biological sciences and the arts, to
mining, agriculture, forestry and many other disciplines.
Most of the country’s national museums are
declared cultural institutions (national museums
that have framework autonomy and are managed
by their own councils), and fall under the overall
jurisdiction of the Department of Arts and Culture. They receive an annual subsidy from the department,
but are mostly autonomous.
In terms of the Cultural Institutions Act,1998
(Act 119 of 1998) [PDF], the declared museum institutions in Gauteng and Cape Town have been
grouped together into two organisations known as
flagship institutions.
While the components of these two museum
flagships (the museums from which they
have been constituted) continue to operate
as semi-independent museums regarding their
core functions (collection, preservation, research
and education), other functions, particularly administration, financing and human-resource management,
have been centralised.
The following museums report to the Minister of
Arts and Culture in terms of the Act:
- Northern Flagship Institution, Pretoria
- Iziko museums, Cape Town
- Natal Museum, Pietermaritzburg
- National Museum, Bloemfontein
- Afrikaanse Taalmuseum, Paarl
- National English Literary Museum,
Grahamstown
- Voortrekker Museum, Pietermaritzburg
- War Museum of the Boer Republics,
Bloemfontein
- Robben Island Museum, Cape Town
- William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberley
- Engelenburg House Art Collection, Pretoria
- Nelson Mandela Museum, Mthatha
- Luthuli Museum, KwaDukuza.
The Northern Flagship consists of the National Cultural History Museum (NCHM) and its former satellite museums (Kruger House, Tswaing Meteorite Crater, Willem Prinsloo Agricultural Museum, Pioneer Museum, Sammy Marks Museum and the Coert Steynberg Museum), the Transvaal Museum and the South African National Museum of Military History in Johannesburg.
The Iziko museums of Cape Town, formerly known as the Southern Flagship Institution, consist of the South African Museum, the South African Cultural History Museum and its satellite museums, the South African National Gallery,
the William Fehr Collection and the Michaelis Collection. In terms of the Cultural Institutions Act, 1998[PDF], the declared museums in other provinces continue to operate as before. These include the National Museum and the War Museum of the Boer Republics, the William Humphreys Art Gallery, the Natal Museum and the Voortrekker Museum, the National English Literacy Museum and the Afrikaanse Taalmuseum.
The Act also provides for the National Museums Division, comprising the CEOs and directors of the flagship museums and other declared museums.
The Robben Island Museum was established as a national monument and museum, and declared South Africa’s first world heritage site in 1999. Guided tours are offered to historical sites on the island, including the cell in which former President Mandela was imprisoned. The Robben Island Museum has its own council and is a separate declared institution, independent of Iziko.
Apart from the declared museums that fall under the department, there are also a number of other national museums that are administered by central government departments or research councils. Notable examples are:
A number of museums fall directly or indirectly under the provincial government departments responsible for arts and culture. In some provinces, these museums render museum support services at provincial level, while other provinces, notably Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and the Free State, have separate museum
service organisations.
However, many museum and heritage
services are also rendered by the declared national museums on a consultancy basis. Many municipalities also manage museums.
Other museums fall under universities and university departments, or are owned and managed by private sector companies, non-governmental organisations or individuals.
The largest museums are situated in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Bloemfontein.
The best-known natural history collections in South Africa are housed in the Iziko museums and the Northern Flagship Institution, as well as in the following:
The best-known cultural-history collections are housed in the Iziko museums and the Northern Flagship Institution, and in the following:
Art museums include the:
The South African Cultural History Museum (Slave
Lodge) in Cape Town houses the oldest cultural
history collection in the country.
The South African Museum (Cape Town) showcases
the natural history of South Africa, as well
as relics of the early human inhabitants of the
subcontinent. The huge Whale Hall houses possibly
the most impressive of all its exhibitions. This
is the only collection in South Africa with a planetarium
attached to it.
The Transvaal Museum in Pretoria houses the
skull of Mrs Ples, a 2,5 million-year-old hominid
fossil, and depicts the origin and development of
life in South Africa, from the most primitive unicellular
form of life to the emergence of mammals
and the first human beings. It has an impressive
collection of early human fossils and houses
some of the largest herpetological and ornithological
collections in southern Africa.
The Tswaing Meteorite Crater, situated to the
north-west of Pretoria, supports the presidential
imperatives by combining a museum with a
cultural-development initiative. The National Cultural History Museum (former African Window) in Pretoria
is a centre for the preservation and promotion
of the culture and heritage of all South Africans. It explores cultural diversity and commonalities,
links the present and the past to offer a better
understanding of both, and nurtures the living
culture of all South Africans.
Mining is best represented by the De Beers
Museum at the Big Hole in Kimberley, where
visitors can view the biggest hole ever made by
man with pick and shovel. It includes an open-air museum, which houses many buildings dating
back to the era of the diamond diggings.
Another important mining museum is at
Pilgrim’s Rest, Mpumalanga, where the first
economically viable goldfield was discovered. The
entire village has been conserved and restored.
Agriculture in South Africa is depicted mainly at
two museums. These are Kleinplasie in Worcester, Western Cape, which showcases the wine
culture and the characteristic architecture of the
winelands; and the Willem Prinsloo Agricultural
Museum between Pretoria and Bronkhorstspruit
in Gauteng. This museum comprises two “house” museums, and runs educational programmes
based on their extensive collection of early
farming implements, vehicles of yesteryear and
indigenous farm animals.
The Absa Museum and Archives in Johannesburg
aims to preserve the banking group’s more
than 110 years of history. It also houses a unique
and very valuable coin and banknote collection.
The Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg offers
a realistic view of the political situation in South
Africa during the 1970s and 1980s. Exhibitions in
the museum feature, among other things, audio-visual footage recorded during the apartheid era.
One of the most common types of museum
in South Africa is the “house” museum. Examples
include an entire village nucleus in Stellenbosch;
an example of the lifestyle of the wealthy
wine farmer in Groot Constantia in the Western
Cape; the mansion of the millionaire industrialist
Sammy Marks, outside Pretoria; the Victorian
affluence mirrored in Melrose House, Pretoria;
and the Kruger House Museum in Pretoria, the
former residence of President Paul Kruger.
Simpler architectural variations have not been
neglected, for instance the pioneer-dwelling in
Silverton, Pretoria; and the humble farmhouse at
Suikerbosrand near Heidelberg in Gauteng. There
are several open-air museums that showcase the
black cultures of the country, for example Tsongakraal near Letsitele, Limpopo; the Ndebele
Museum in Middelburg, Mpumalanga; the Bakone
Malapa Museum in Polokwane, Limpopo; and the
South Sotho Museum in Witsieshoek, Free State.
South Africa has two national military history
museums. The South African Museum for Military History in Johannesburg reflects the military history of the country, while the War Museum
in Bloemfontein depicts the Anglo-Boer/South
African War in particular. The famous battlefields
of KwaZulu-Natal, the Northern Cape and North
West are also worth a visit.
The work of the War-Graves Division of Sahra includes the upkeep of graves of victims of the
struggle for South Africa’s liberation.
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Archives and heraldry
Archives of governmental bodies are transferred
to archive repositories after 20 years, and
are accessible to the public and to the office of
origin.
The National Archives functions in terms of the National Archives and Records Service of South
Africa Act, 1996 (Act 43 of 1996) [PDF].
The National Archives in Pretoria includes
the National Film, Video and Sound Archives. Its
primary functions are to obtain and preserve
films, videotapes and sound recordings of archival
value and to make these available for research
and reference purposes.
The archives of central government are
preserved in the National Archives’ repository in Pretoria. Provincial archive repositories in
Pretoria, Cape Town, Pietermaritzburg, Durban, Ulundi, Mthatha, Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein house archives dating from before 1910, as well as the relevant provincial archives. Record centres for archives less than 20 years old exist in Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Cape Town.
The retrieval of information from archives is facilitated by the automated archival information system (http://www.national.archives.gov.za), which includes national registers of manuscripts, photographs and audiovisual material. The National Archives also renders a comprehensive records management service for current records, aimed at promoting efficient administration.
The National Archives is responsible for collecting non-public records with enduring value of national significance. In so doing, it is obliged to pay special attention to aspects of the nation’s experience neglected by archives of the past.
The Oral History Project seeks to build the National Archives’ capacity to document the spoken word, and to develop a national oral history programme. The automated National Register of Oral Sources is an important element of the project.
The Act also provides government with a measure of control over private collections. Archives are taken to the people through co-ordinated national and provincial archive services. At the same time, the National Archives is responsible for ensuring effective, transparent and accountable management of all public records, as far as possible.
The Bureau of Heraldry is responsible for registering coats of arms; badges and other emblems such as flags, seals, medals and insignia of rank and offices of order; and registering names and uniforms (colours) of associations and organisations, such as universities.
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Library and Information Services (LIS) sector
South African libraries have developed over a period of more than 150 years. The world’s first free public library service was established here by Lord Charles Somerset in 1820, by levying a tax on the sale of wine. When he returned to England, tax reforms by the new governor spelt the end of the free library, but it formed the basis of what is today the National Library of South Africa (NLSA) in Cape Town.
By 1900, subscription libraries were operating in most towns and cities, financed by annual membership fees and, in most cases, grants from local authorities. An investigation in the 1930s by the Carnegie Corporation of New York found that most of these libraries were inadequate and poorly funded. The necessity for government support to ensure free public libraries was recognised.
By the 1950s, all four provinces of the Union of South Africa had ordinances that set out the functions of local and provincial government, and public-library development gathered momentum.
In 1985, librarians commissioned Unisa to investigate the role that libraries could and should play in developing South Africa.
The result was that greater emphasis was placed on providing material that would support formal and informal education. Outreach programmes to schools and pre-schools received priority. Many libraries also started presenting literacy classes for adults.
South Africa’s growing LIS sector includes a national library, public/community libraries, special libraries, government libraries and higher education (HE) libraries.
By mid-2003, South Africa had more than 11 373 libraries, with 77 HE libraries,
9 416 school libraries, 79 government departmental libraries, one national library with two branches, and 1 800 public libraries provided by provincial and local government (library services and metro libraries). Less than 10% of secondary schools had school libraries.
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Provincial library services
The Department of Arts and Culture is drafting the South African Community Libraries Bill to set the norms and standards for a transformed community library sector. This Bill will be tabled in Parliament in 2009.
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Library services at national level
Meta-information
The Subdirectorate: Meta-Information of the Department of Arts and Culture is the focal point within national government that handles certain policy matters pertaining to LIS at national level. Meta-information means information about information.
The subdirectorate is located within the Chief Directorate: National Archives, Records,
Meta-Information and Heraldic Services of the Department of Arts and Culture, and reports to the National Archivist.
The vision of the subdirectorate is to create and maintain an effective meta-information system that promotes access to information, ensuring
that all communities participate in the information
society, thereby contributing to the development of
the country. Its mission is to advise the Minister of
Arts and Culture on the development, co-ordination
and maintenance of the national meta-information policy and infrastructure.
The national meta-information system in South
Africa consists of various types of library and other
information organisations, and is enabled by a
legislative framework. The subdirectorate’s remit
within this framework pertains specifically to:
- the National Council for Library and Information
Services (NCLIS)
- the NLSA
- the South African Library for the Blind (Blindlib)
- the Legal Deposit Committee and those libraries
and archives that function as places of legal
deposit and/or official publication depositories
- Blind SA (formerly the South African Blind
Workers’ Organisation) and the Braille Services Trust, as well as the South African National
Council for the Blind regarding Braille projects.
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National Council for Library and
Information Services
The NCLIS was established in terms of the NCLIS
Act, 2001 (Act 6 of 2001) [PDF], (Annexure A). The NCLIS
advises the ministers of arts and culture and of
education on matters relating to LIS to support
and stimulate the socio-economic, educational, cultural, recreational, scientific research, technological
and information development of all
communities in the country.
The functions of the
council are to develop and co-ordinate LIS in the
country.
A new National Council for Libraries and Information Services was appointed in March 2008. The purpose of the council is to finalise the
development of a Library Transformation Charter
that was initiated in August 2006.The aim of the
Library Transformation Charter is to align the role
of libraries with the vision and strategic framework
of government.
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National Library of South Africa
The NLSA was established on 1 November 1999
through the NLSA Act, 1998 (Act 92 of 1998) [PDF] , with
the amalgamation of the State Library in Pretoria
and the South African Library in Cape Town.
The functions of the NLSA are to build a complete
collection of published documents emanating
from or relating to South Africa; to maintain and
preserve the collections, and to provide access to
them through bibliographic, reference, information
and interlibrary-lending services; and to promote
information awareness and literacy.
The Centre for the Book in Cape Town, a
specialised unit, promotes the culture of reading, writing and publishing in all South Africa’s official
languages.
In terms of the Legal Deposit Act, 1997 (Act 54
of 1997) [PDF], the NLSA, as one of five legal deposit
libraries, receives two copies of each book, periodical,
newspaper, map, manuscript material or other
publication that is published in South Africa in any
medium, print or electronic, for its campuses in
Pretoria and Cape Town.
The NLSA has been tasked with republishing
out-of-print African-language publications.
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South African Library for the Blind
Blindlib is a statutory organisation located in
Grahamstown. Its aim is to provide, free of charge
as far as is reasonably possible, a national LIS
to serve blind and print-handicapped readers in
South Africa. It is partly state-funded and depends
for the remainder of its financial needs on soliciting
funds from the private sector and the general
public. Blindlib also produces documents in
special media such as Braille and audio formats. It develops standards for the production of such
documents and researches production methods
and technology in the appropriate fields.
It also acquires, manufactures and disseminates the technology people with visual disabilities
need to read.
The vision of Blindlib is based on five broad
objectives, namely, to significantly contribute to:
- helping build a nation of readers
- assisting the organised blind community
- improving the lives of individuals with print disabilities
by meeting their information needs
- helping the State to discharge its cultural
mandate and its obligations to blind people
- assisting Africa’s development by providing
advice, expertise and documents in accessible
formats for blind persons and the institutions
that serve their information needs.
Blindlib has a staff complement of 42 staff
members and a membership of 5 594, an audio
and Braille collection of 22 761 books and an annual circulation of more than 170 000 books, in Braille and audio format.
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Blind SA
Blind SA is an organisation of the blind, governed by the blind, and is located in Johannesburg. One of its prime objectives is to provide services for blind and partially sighted individuals to uplift and empower them by publishing books, magazines and other documents in Braille. Blind SA provides:
- study bursaries for blind and partially sighted students
- interest-free loans (for adaptive equipment)
- information (free Braille magazines)
- assistance in finding sustainable employment
- advocacy (to act as a pressure group for disability rights)
- Braille publications at affordable prices in all official languages.
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Legal Deposit Act, 1997
The purpose of the Legal Deposit Act, 1997 [PDF] is, among other things, to:
- provide for the preservation of the national documentary heritage through legal deposit of published documents
- ensure the preservation and cataloguing of, and access to, published documents emanating from, or adapted for, South Africa
- provide for access to government information
- provide for a legal deposit committee.
The places of legal deposit are: NLSA, Pretoria Campus; NLSA, Cape Town component; Mangaung Library Services; Msunduzi Municipal Library; Library of Parliament; the National Film, Video and Sound Archives of South Africa; the University of the Free State; and the Constitutional Court of South Africa. (See Chapter 7: Education.)
Source: South Africa Yearbook 2008/09
Editor: D Burger. Government Communication and Information
System
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Last modified: 29 October 2009 10:23:21.
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