Inside South African Cultural and Creative Industry Awards ceremony: The good and the bad

The awards ceremony held on Saturday celebrated real talent and those who we will soon forget unfortunately. But sadly the registration chaos spoilt what would have been an Okay evening at the least as a long queue formed at the registration desk and media was treated like unwanted guests to the event.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

The much awaited Creative and Cultural Industry Awards (CCI Awards) launched this year by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) amidst loud criticism by a big section of the sector, eventually happened on Saturday March 30, 2024, at the Sandton Convention Centre.

The awards saw the top officials of the Department, led by Minister Zizi Kodwa, Deputy Minister, Nocawe Mafu, Acting Director-General Cynthia Khumalo and God-knows who else along the chain of officials at the department attended the event. The point is the attendance by the entire leadership bureaucracy at DSAC, can only mean one thing, and that is that they want these awards to be a success.

And of course, senior office bearers of Creative Industry Federation of South Africa (CIFSA), with due respect to the individuals, seem to be prepared to endorse everything that its founder and financial backer DSAC, commands it do, attended in big numbers.

One would not be surprised if CIFSA in future is be witnessed endorsing even a sport event in the name of representing the creative and cultural sector. It seems both DSAC and CIFSA are oblivious to the fact that quite a significant portion of the creative sector, have been loud, opposing the timing of these awards ever since DSAC announced them.

That in a way explains why among the nominees, and of course the eventual winners, there was a mixed bag of real talent that nobody would ordinarily have qualms about their triumph, such as the Esther Mahlangus, Connie Chiumes, Lillian Dubes, Wilson B. Nkosis, Monageng Vice Motsabis – and even though it smelt of a perfect convenience Tylas of this world among other winners. But problem is it looks like real talent was thrown in, nominated among nobodies in the creative sector, to lend legitimacy to a job half done.

I am not going to attempt to analyse who deserved to be a winner or to be nominated as that will be a job for the whole week. Time I do not have. However it is important to point here a few instances of a sloppy job by the powers that be in these “Grammy and Oscar” style awards.

I will not belabour that much on the fact that the architecture of these awards is exclusive instead of inclusive, as this has been pointed out by other commentators already. Such as the omission of key players that contribute immensely to the cultural vibrancy of the sector. Such as arts marketers, arts publicists, art curators, gallerists technical production crew, arts philanthropists, arts writers/critics/arts Journalists and arts promoters.

Such as live music promoters and live music venue owners…… and the list goes on. These are at the heart beat of the creative sector. And please, citing the UNESCO categorisation of the creative and cultural industry definition of categories is no excuse for this glaring omission, an explanation Cynthia Khumalo has offered in the recent past in defence of this limiting and non nuanced approach to identifying the other key players in the value chain of what is categorised as the creative and cultural sector in South Africa for recognition.

Now that the issue of the architecture and the controversy of the awards is out of the way, some of you might want to know what happened at the awards. The organisation was bad. Really bad, especially when it came to the registration and processing of the guests. One even found himself reminiscing about the experiences of the past at some of the big events that form the major portion of the cultural and entertainment calendar of this country and found oneself even admiring how the organisers of these big events in South Africa such as Joy of Jazz, Metro FM Awards, South African Music Awards, Cape Town International Jazz festival and Moretele Jazz Festival for example, events that actually handle a bigger crowd of festival goers and guests than those that attended the inaugural CCI Awards on Saturday.

But first of all kudus to the Proudly South African, of whom yours truly and other journalists were their guests. After an impressive brunch presentation that took place from 11 am to about 1pm at a hotel where they told journalists about their role in promoting South African products, they said goodbye to every one and lets meet at the awards.

This meant that we had plenty time to mill around Sandton and prepare ourselves for the awards ceremony, including picking up our accreditation in time from 4pm.In time for the red carpet reception at 5.30pm. When I went to the accreditation desk manned by DSAC officials, there was a long queue of guests, waiting for their tags. The line seemed to be stuck. Not moving. It would not be an exaggeration if one were to say it reminded one of the queues at Covid-19 grant points for unemployed youth or those at the Department of Home Affairs. No apology was given for the inexplicable delays.

Again thanks to the officials at the Proudly SA organisation, as they prevailed in time and made things smooth for their guests as they intervened to get all the media they had invited to be sorted out with their media tags.

However as I picked up my tag and headed to the entrance of the Convention Centre, I also wandered for how long it would take to be sorted out for those poor souls still waiting on a line that seemed to be not moving . But it seemed the media celebrated too early.

The woes for the media were not over yet. We soon hit another snag after the Red carpet as we entered the venue. It seemed like the organisers had forgotten that they had invited the media to cover the event. There was no table for the media. It was as if they were sending a message to say, we want you here, but not really. We waited to be seated.

But then nothing happened. Instead a rather rude woman who was in charge of the seating arrangement made us wait forever. And when she eventually attended to us, she just selected two people among several who were waiting and disappeared. Not to be seen again. It was both a frustrating and humiliating experience to be waiting there indefinitely as if we were gatecrashers to the , yet were invited guests armed with our media tags hanging loosely on our necks.

The situation was eventually saved by an innovative arts journalist, whose name shall remain unsaid. He surveyed the seating in the hall, casting his eyes wide the left side. Right at the back. He flashed a naught smile. That gesture confused us all for a moment before we caught up with his fast thoughts.
“Right! I have a solution. You see they are not going to assist us the organisers. We need to assist ourselves. You see there are tables still unoccupied in the room. Lets occupy that one right at the back and make it our own. We are not moving,” he said. We all agreed. And so that is how Table 62, was declared a Media Table, by the media itself at the inaugural Creative and Cultural Industry Awards. One though, wondered as to the fate of the people who according to the tickets in their hands, were meant to sit on the fateful Table 62.

This anecdote in a way describes the situation of registration chaos that welcomed these awards. It definitely takes more than having a Grammy Award winner, such as Lyla in the room to achieve ‘Grammy and Oscar Style” awards for the creative and cultural sector in South Africa.
Let us hope that lessons have been learned and that in future, the awards will open up to include those at the heart beat of the thriving creative and cultural sector in South Africa. And also the organisation will be much better, and therefore, tickets holders for Table 62 will not have to look for a non-existent table.

And Oh! , to the organisers of the CCI Awards, also to remember that the Grammy and Oscar awards ceremonies are as success as they are today globally also because of the US media’s contribution who are not expected to cover the events while standing (Here I am talking about journalists/writers).
PS. On a positive note though the money is quite cool, as for the first time on the South African award ceremony scene, a winner actually gets cool money. “Just to answer Lillian Dube on the issue of money, the winner in each category takes home not less than R100 000,” Kodwa said at the ceremony during the awarding of the Legends Awards, which is a ministerial discretion of the CCI Awards.