Kodwa launches inaugural Cultural and Creative Industry Awards

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Sport, Arts and Culture Minister, Zizi Kodwa, has launched the inaugural Cultural and Creative Industry Awards. Among those nominated in the fashion designer’s category are world-famous designers Rich Mnisi and Maxhosa founder Laduma Ngxokolo.

Kodwa says the annual award ceremony to be held later this month is intended to recognise and celebrate the creative industry in all shapes and forms.

Speaking at the SABC’s headquarters in Johannesburg, Kodwa mentions that this year’s ceremony was the first of many to come.

A total of thirty artists are expected to receive an award in two weeks. The nominees in eight categories were announced at the launch of the Cultural and Creative Industry Awards. This follows weeks of an intense and robust nomination and adjudication process.

“We need the best of excellence, we need to help people to aspire to something that is made in South Africa and Africa…they want to participate in the South African space because I love what they do once South Africa gets done for example we’ve created, we exported a lot globally at Ester Mango from the visual art perspective at Trevor, from the Black Coffee music has always been an exporter of excellence and is always appropriate or appropriated our excellence. We know that excellence will be recognised,” says Lead jury member Thebe Ikalafeng.

The event will be held under the theme: “Recognising the Brightest Stars”.

Kodwa says the award ceremony was prompted by South African artists who sometimes get little recognition at home. Other categories include Outstanding Museum, Outstanding Children’s Book and Textile Designer.

“If you look at the people like Brenda Fassie in view should’ve been more organised in their own country but also some of them even currently they are most celebrated across the Atlantic and Indian ocean than their own country and when they came in among others we celebrated the recipient of the criminal awards starting with my mom Miriam I am posthumously up to the latest Black Coffee and others these are the things that is a kind of woman not recognised … and raise our flag internationally using creatives, using culture we’ve got to…their excellent,” says Kodwa.

The department has partnered with the public broadcaster, the SABC to reach those in far-flung areas.

Video: Minister Kodwa unpacks Cultural and Creative Industry Awards