(Paul
Sibisi is presented with his award by Bonga Mpanza, Station
Manager at Ukhozi FM)
With its prestigious Living Legends Awards,
now in their fifth year, the eThekwini Municipality last month celebrated those
who have made a major contribution to the city in their various fields.
“The fact that what began as an idea in the
unassuming minds of a few people has grown in such leaps and bounds in a space
of five years is an extraordinary stride for our beautiful City,” said Councillor
James Nxumalo, the Mayor of eThekwini. “It is this power of an idea which is so
aptly personified by the people whose works, contributions and sacrifices the
eThekwini Living Legends Awards recognise and celebrate.”
This year’s impressive ceremony saw the
2012 recipients of the Living Legends Awards enter the splendidly-decorated ICC
carrying a lantern on one side and holding the hand of a five-year old child on
the other. The children were chosen specifically for their age to celebrate the
fifth anniversary of the awards.
The procession moved towards the stage and,
once each Living Legend awardee reached the stage, they symbolically handed their
lantern to their accompanying child. In an extremely moving process, the child
then walked up onto the stage, as if carrying forward the awardee’s energies
and skills into the future.
Among the awardees was well-known and
respected visual artist, Michael Paul Sibisi. Unlike many academically
qualified artists, he has continued producing and exhibiting his art, inspiring
young up-and-coming artists who aspire to make it in the tricky world of art.
When he taught art at Mzuvele High School,
he immersed himself in the everyday experiences of his learners in order to
discover many hidden talents which had to be nurtured and exposed. Among many
art learners who benefited from the passionate teaching of Sibisi are Sipho
Mdanda and Themba Siwela.
In September 2011, Sibisi was the most
senior, established artist who was part of the Who Am I…. Ngingubani Heritage project which culminated in an
exhibition that opened at the Durban Art Gallery. The mentorship role that he
played among the youth and other inexperienced artists further enhanced their
artistic consciousness – an urge to depict an inner world which cannot be
described in spoken or written words. This account shows Sibisi’s contribution
towards the development of creative culture not only in Durban, but in the
country at large.
Other 2012 Living Legends in the arts were author
Lauretta Ngcobo, jazz musician Theo Bophela and theatre personality and artSMart
editor Caroline Smart.
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