USIBA Creative and Cultural Industries Awards launches
The inaugural USIBA Creative and Cultural Industries Awards, which takes place on 31 May at Emperors' Palace, Johannesburg, has been launched, in partnership with the Creative and Cultural Industries Federation of South Africa (CCIFSA), by Minister of Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa. Like the national orders of Ikamanga, USIBA is the highest accolade in the cultural and creative industry.
The CCIFSA president, Tony Kgoroge said: “As CCIFSA we are excited that the industry will have a conference where policy issues will be discussed by more than 800 industry representatives. We will touch on skills development, training, radical economic transformation, the white paper and more. The conference will be during the day, preceding the much-anticipated awards which will take place in the evening.
“For many years, artists and industry practitioners have complained that there was no high-level platform that honours them whilst they are alive. USIBA is that platform that will encourage, and salute those who have made outstanding contributions in Heritage and Museums, visuals arts and crafts, language and publishing, design and technical support services, arts education, indigenous wisdom, audiovisual and interactive, performance and celebration.”
The trophies that recipients will receive takes from USIBA awards identity, symbolised by a feather and a horn. The feather represents excellence, uphaphe lwegwalagwala. It is also a metaphor for the writing industry, a symbol of freedom, wisdom, honour, promise, limitlessness and dreams. The horn represents strength, a call, caution, and a trumpet. It is an amplifier representing the impact creatives make in people’s lives and in all corners of South Africa.
The awards will be held at the Emperors’ Palace, Johannesburg on 31 May 2018. Attendance is strictly by invitation.
