The Arts & Culture Trust (ACT) will revisit the epicentre
of 1940’s and 50’s South African jazz and blues culture at their 19th annual
ACT Awards.
The ACT Awards, which will be held tonight (October 21) at
Sun International’s The Maslow Hotel in Sandton will bestow Lifetime
Achievement Awards on six of the country’s arts and culture stalwarts, while
also naming five rising stars 2016’s ImpACT Award winners.
“We believe ‘remembering Sophiatown’ is a fitting backdrop
to our celebration given the current winds of change blowing through our
streets and moving our communities,” says Anastasia Pather, the Awards project
manager.
The evening will blend the past and the present with a
strong female force. Live performances by the grande dame of jazz, Sibongile Khumalo will be juxtaposed with the
sharp wit of the night’s hosts, all female satirical group, Thenx.
While Khumalo’s unmistakable voice will help transport
guests back to Msanzi’s golden era of creative consciousness, wry humour courtesy
of Thenx will offer clever commentary on the current state of the country.
“Hosting the Awards is an honour and we are very excited,”
say the ladies from Thenx. “We think the line-up is very fitting of the theme,
and it’s going to be interesting to experience the mix between us as young
artists and the legendary mama Sibongile Khumalo.”
This year, the ImpACT Awards will honour young creatives in
five categories; Visual Art, Music, Theatre, Dance and Design. All 15 finalists
have achieved remarkable things in the first five years of their careers, and
were brought forward by a public nomination platform. The judges, Beneficiary
Relations Manager for the National Lotteries Commission, Sershan Naidoo; ACT
chairperson, Melissa Goba; Dance Umbrella Director, Georgina Thomson; actress,
playwright and voice coach, Motshabi Tyelele; and award-winning pianist and
educator, Andre Petersen, certainly have an arduous task ahead of them.
ACT’s sojourn back to Sophiatown will also recognise six
Lifetime Achievement Award winners, all cultural crusaders in their own right.
There will be nods made in the following categories; Visual Art, Theatre,
Dance, Music, Literature and Arts Advocacy. “We look forward to celebrating the
winners’ lifelong contributions to our heritage,” says Pather. “Each of them
have physically affected South Africa’s future and can certainly be heralded as
icons of our time.”
To date, the Arts & Culture Trust has recognised over
150 individuals and organisations for their significant contribution to art,
culture and heritage in South Africa through their Awards. And this year, ACT
looks forward to adding more names to this impressive list.
The 19th annual ACT Awards is hosted by Sun International in
association with the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) and is supported by
the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO), the Dramatic, Artistic
and Literary Rights Organisation (DALRO), Media24 Books, the Nedbank Arts
Affinity, JTI, Creative Feel Magazine, Business and Arts South Africa (BASA)
and the Distell Foundation.
For more information about the Arts & Culture Trust
(ACT) visit www.act.org.za and use the hashtag #ACTAwards on all social media
channels.
Posts
