Charl Blignaut
THE Minister of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, Lionel Mtshali, this= we
ek finally announced the list of who will be serving on the most powerful a= rts
body yet established in post-apartheid South Africa, the National Arts Cou=
nci
l (NAC). But, while general reaction to the list has been favourable, there= is
some concern about procedure: normally such a council would be established=
al
ong guidel ines laid down by a parliamentary Bill. In the case of the NAC, the Nationa= l A rts Council Bill governing it has yet to emerge from Parliament.=20
This means councillors are accepting three-year positions without finalisat= ion
of their duties. While the draft Bill has been approved by Parliament, the=
fi
nal version is subject to ratification by the Cabinet’s Arts and Culture Po= rtf
olio Committee. This is headed by seasoned cultural worker Mongane Wally Se= rot
e, who is known to stand in opposition to several arts initiatives taken by= th
e governme nt and independent bodies.
This is not the only hiccup on the road to a non-salaried body that will, u= lti
mately, control state funding of the arts. After open hearings in November = las
t year, 32 candidates were shortlisted to 18. But then the process slowed d= own
as the ministry and its accompanying department locked horns over the comp=
osi
tion of the 12-person council.=20
Another dilemma posed by the names released this week concerns actor and ad= min
istrator John Kani. Kani is on the board of the Arts and Culture Trust and = is=20
managing trustee of the Market Theatre as well as chair of the Performing A= rts
Council of the Transvaal (Pact) board. A potential conflict of interest ar=
ise
s in that, as a Pact and Market representatitive, he will effectively be ap= ply
ing to the NAC for funds for these organisations. He may well find himself having to =
res
ign from the Pact board.
The names released this week are, according to an insider, “the best of an = ove
rall average set of applicants”. Governed by a set of criteria regarding r= ace
, gender and discipline – the list is 50% white, 50% black; 40% female, 60%= ma
le – the options were in any case limited.=20
The only remaining discrepancy regarding composition of the council is that= th
e vast majority of candidates – eight – come from Gauteng. A further three = hai
l from KwaZulu-Natal and one from the Western Cape, but nine candidates are= st
ill to be named, each representing a region. These will be filled by the ch= air
person of the arts council of each province. In cases such as the Western C= ape
, though,=20 where no such provincial body exists, such decisions will be taken by the p= rov
ince’s executive committee. Rumour has it that the Western Cape’s represent= ati
ve will be theatre owner Pieter Toerien.
Ultimately, combined with the launch of Business Arts South Africa, an init= iat
ive to attract corporate funding of the arts, the establishment of the coun= cil
is a massive breakthrough in a traditionally neglected sector of South Afr=
ica
n life. Another insider called the new developments “nothing short of a mir= acl
e”. A chairperson for the committee will be selected within a month at the = cou
ncil’s fir st meeting.
All the names
Professor Elize Botha (Retired head of Unisa’s Department of Afrikaans and = cha
irperson of the board of the State Library)
Lisa Combrinck (Writer, member of the Congress of SA Writers and lecturer: = Dep
artment of English: Mamelodi Campus; VistaUniversity)
Vanessa Cooke (Actor, president of Performing Arts Workers’ Equity)
John Kani (Actor and director, managing trustee of the Market Theatre and c= hai
rperson of the board of Pact)
David Koloane (Visual artist and arts educator)
Corinna Lowry (Co-director: Johannesburg Dance Foundation)
Marilyn Martin (Director: South African National Gallery, Cape Town)
Zakhe Ngqobe (Executive director: National Crafts Association)
Christopher Seabrooke (Theatre producer and board member of Business and Ar= ts=20
South Africa)
Bongani Themba (Opera singer and director of the Natal Philharmonic Orchest= ra)
Kirren Thathiah (Visual artist and senior lecturer University of Durban Wes= tvi
lle)
Musa Xula (Head of Music Department, University of Zululand)