Equipment to the value of R50,000 was handed over to the Ya Welaitatswe (Y Wait) Community Arts Centre in Pampierstad as part of a ministerial outreach to various communities in the Northern Cape.
EQUIPMENT to the value of R50,000 was handed over to the Ya Welaitatswe (Y Wait) Community Arts Centre in Pampierstad as part of a ministerial outreach to various communities in the Northern Cape.
The Y Wait centre manager, Chris Sekgwelo, said the equipment received from the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture would improve the quality of the work and productions of the centre.
“It will also assist in promoting enterprise development, indigenous knowledge and the preservation of South African culture, heritage and human rights education.”
The equipment that was received includes audio visual equipment, a sound system, laptop, a wi-fi router, stationery and attire for productions.
Department spokesperson Conrad Fortune said equipment would also be donated to other community art centres including the Ritchie youth development centre, the Vuma arts centre Sparkling Diamonds in Kimberley, Boeta Gammie in Calvinia and the Sisonke arts centre in Upington.
“The community arts centres (CAC) will each be provided with different types of equipment best suited to their needs. The value of equipment for each CAC was capped at R50,000 for the 2022/23 financial year in order for the department to reach and support as many CACs as possible,” said Fortune.
The MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Desery Fienies, said that community art centres were an integral part of the creative arts industry.
“The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has deemed it necessary to continuously support our community arts centres with the necessary equipment and skills to promote and enhance social cohesion and nation-building, encourage participation in the arts, create opportunities for employment and provide cultural enrichment.”
She added that the programme would ensure that community arts centres were equipped with the necessary resources to grant equal opportunities to communities.
“As Africans, poetry, theatre, music, dance and visual arts plays an important role in the way we experience our daily lives, both at home and at work. It emerges as an aspect of social action and resonates with emotion and meaning among our communities.”
Fienies stated that they intended to provide community art centres with internet access and support and to stimulate socio-economic artist and tourist opportunities at local art galleries and museums.
