BASA PARTNERS WITH ILANGA

Business and Arts South Africa partners with Ilanga to profile arts in KZN

Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) has announced a new media partnership with Ilanga newspaper in Durban. The popular, bi-weekly Zulu newspaper is now running a monthly column by highly regarded arts and culture personality, Edmund Mhlongo.

The Business and Arts South Africa-Ilanga column is aimed at increasing awareness of creative industries, understanding the complexities and dynamics of the industry, promoting arts and culture activities in Ilanga’s readers and developing knowledge about the arts and culture in Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Says David Gouldie, BASA’s representative in KZN: “Edmund is well respected in the Durban arts community. He has great knowledge of infrastructure, running an arts organisation and a history of delivering world-class productions. This knowledge is invaluable to outreach groups and individuals attempting to break into the market and create new work.”

In his Zulu-language column Mhlongo will also give insight into the hands on skills required to take an arts project from “seed to strength to sustainability” - in the words of Business and Arts South Africa’s vision. These will include how to write proposals, approaching sponsors, general arts organisation guidelines and much more.

Adds Gouldie: “Business and Arts South Africa is proud to be associated with this exciting initiative. The establishment of these types of relationships means that Durban’s creative and artistic community will become stronger, more organized and deliver better products.”

Ilanga Newspapers Content Editor, Ms Thobile Nxumalo thanked both Business and Arts South Africa and Mr Mhlongo for the partnership that is sure to empower artists who otherwise wouldn’t have known where to begin. “Business and arts have always been complicated for our readers, we see it in the letters they write to us, which is why Mr Mhlongo’s column has been really useful. Its ability to attract a sponsorship like this can only ensure the continuation of educating and advising artists who want not only to enter the theatre arts sector but also understanding that it is a business after all,” says Ms Nxumalo.

The column appears in ILANGA’s lifestyle sister-title, ILANGA LeTheku every last Thursday of the month.