Question NW2652 to the Minister of Sport, Arts andCulture
26 November 2020 - NW2652
Luthuli, Mr BN to ask the Minister of Sport, Arts andCulture
With the festive period being one of the busiest times for the arts and culture industry and with the expected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to result in significant reductions in income for the sector, what (a) are some of the practical measures that will be taken as part of the recently launched President’s Employment Stimulus Programme in order to assist with the retention and creation of jobs in the arts and culture sector and (b) specific measures can be expected for artists in KwaZulu-Natal which remains one of the prime arts and culture provinces in the Republic?
Reply:
The Department of Sport Arts and Culture recognises the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the livelihoods of the artists and creatives as a whole. It is this recognition that made us to continue working with the sector to come up with various measures and interventions to mitigate the negative impact to artists across the country, inclusive of the KwaZulu-Natal Province.
On 30 October 2020 the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture announced the opening of the call for the sector to apply through the National Arts Council (NAC) and the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF). The call is aimed at soliciting proposals from the sector that demonstrate opportunities to create work in order to get income flowing and to get the sector moving as part of the reconstruction and recovery of the economy.
The closing dates for submissions to both entities are as follows:
NAC closing date for Stream 1: 20 November 2020
NAC closing date for Stream 2 is 27 November 2020
For NFVF the closing date is 30 November at 17:00
Entities will adjudicate applications as soon they are received them to expedite the turnaround time for disbursement. This will allow the National Arts Council to release the first results few days after the closing date by 30 November 2020.
The entities are expected to start processing the payment immediately after the announcement by the second and third week of December 2020.
We are continuing with the drive to mobilise prospective applicants to apply throughout the country and we are motivated by the numbers of applications thus far.