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The National Arts Council's representative, Mr Andrew Nkadimeng.

Arts Council educates people on how to apply for funding

 

In a bid to assist artists and arts bodies to compile successful funding applications, the National Arts Council (NAC) held a funding workshop in Louis Trichardt last Friday.

The representative of the council, Mr Andrew Nkadimeng, said that the funding organisation had embarked on a road programme where they wanted the artists and arts organisations to better understand the NAC’s criteria and eligibility for funding.

“We don't wish for the deserving applicants to get disqualified because they had no knowledge about what not to include or what to include in the application forms,” he said. “We want as many applicants as possible to access the funding, so that they get to realise their arts projects or further their qualifications towards arts programmes.”

The NAC also made copies of application guidelines to all attendees, and the soft copies of these very documents can also be accessed on the organisation's official website. “Individuals and formally registered institutions, organisations and groups can apply for funding,” he said. “All applicants must be South African citizens and over 18 years of age.”

The NAC has moved from the traditional discipline-focused approach to funding to an enhanced strategy where they focus on specified programmes. The programmes are on social cohesion and nation building, innovation design and creation, arts platforms (showcases, exhibitions or festivals), strategic initiatives, and capacity building. “We encourage applicants to first study or familiarise themselves with the guidelines before attempting to apply, because that also helps to avoid immediate disqualification for non-compliance,” he said.

Nkadimeng stated that, for artists and arts organisations, the best way to start was to visit the NAC’s website (www.nac.org.za).

One of the attendees, Ms Kagiso Kekana of Charismatic Rhythms, said: “I had previously known about the National Arts Council funding, but I could not understand some of the guidelines and funding criteria, and it was difficult to communicate with the office from a distance. With that said, the workshop enabled us to have an opportunity to ask relevant questions directly for clarity and more understanding. The facilitator, Mr Nkadimeng, was clear in his explanations and it all gave us hope as art practitioners here in Vhembe District, Limpopo.”

 

Some of the artists and art organisations' representatives who attended the  National Arts Council funding workshop.

 

Date:17 March 2019

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.

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