(Right: Andrea Voges: DIFF Manager)
The Centre for Creative Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal is delighted to announce the appointment of three outstanding persons to its team. Andrea Voges has been appointed to the position of Manager for the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF). Sakhile Gumede takes on the portfolio of Projects & Development Officer for the Centre’s Festivals. Philisiwe Manqele joins the Centre for Creative Arts as Finance Officer.
For the past fifteen years, Andrea Voges has honed her skills as an Arts and Cultural Manager working in strategic positions both nationally and internationally. She returns to the Durban International Film Festival after working at the Joburg Film Festival, Red Sea International Film Festival, Realness Institute, Ucuru Media and as a Project Coordinator for the South African-United Kingdom Seasons - an intergovernmental initiative to promote arts and culture between these two nations. Voges holds a Bachelor of Arts degree and is a Southern Africa-Locarno Industry Academy alumnus.
“We are delighted to have appointed Andrea Voges as the DIFF Manager. Her passion for cultural leadership and her experience in the film industry, coupled with her extensive networks, will be valuable in giving impetus to the Centre’s plans to continue to grow the Durban International Film Festival as South Africa’s premiere film event”, said Ismail Mahomed, the Director for the Centre for Creative Arts.
Sakhile Gumede has worked in various roles at the Centre for Creative Arts for over a decade, including co-ordinating the Isiphethu Developments Project at the Durban International Film Festival. Under his leadership last year, the Centre for Creative Arts introduced the inaugural International Student Film Festival.
Gumede is a graduate of the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He holds an Honours in Communication, Culture & Media Studies and several short course certificates in cultural leadership.
“Over more than a decade, Sakhile Gumede has worked passionately to enable community-based artists to access resources, skills, networks and opportunities. His appointment to the post gives him the mandate to envision even greater possibilities and to broker partnerships with longer-term sustainability goals. His knowledge and networks in both the professional industry and the development sector make him ideally suited for this crucially important role at the Centre”, added Mahomed.
Philisiwe Manqele joins the Centre for Creative Arts, bringing her eight years of experience in budget management and financial administration. She has extensive experience managing and administrating donor funding from both national and international partners. Coupled with her B.Tech degree, she holds several other short course certificates, which is testimony to her determination to always be at the forefront of growth opportunities and learning newer systems.
“Given that the Centre for Creative Arts has an extensive donor relationship with a wide constituency of partners, Manqele’s appointment to the post will further enhance our operations, administration, reporting systems and accountability to our donors, stakeholders and beneficiaries with whom we have a valued relationship”, said Mahomed.
All three candidates will take up their positions at the Centre for Creative Arts on February 1, 2023, on three-year fixed-term contracts. The 44th Durban International Film Festival will take place from July 20 to 30, 2023.
The Centre for Creative Arts is an interdisciplinary hub in the School of Arts at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The Centre is the host of the following festivals:
Time of the Writer festival (25 years)
JOMBA! Contemporary Arts Festival (25
years)
Durban International Film Festival (43
years)
Poetry Africa Festival (26 years)
Artfluence Human Rights Festival (3 years)
Cabaret And Beyond Festival (2 years)
The festivals presented by the Centre for
the Creative Arts boldly engage with issues of transformation, constitutional
democracy, human rights, social justice, creative education and promoting
access to the arts for all. Within a university landscape, the festivals are
catalysts for disruption and change. They support innovation in research about
the arts by academics and students; and in practice by artists and society. The
festivals present content that is engaging, provocative and challenging to
resonate with the University’s community engagement agenda.
For more information, click on the Centre for Creative Arts advertisement to the right of this article to link you to their website.
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