SA: ACT launches new COVID-19 artist project

The project is titled Tlholo, which means ‘victory’ in Sotho, and seeks to recognise the innate ability of creative minds to find innovative solutions to problems and to overcome the obstacles at hand with ingenuity and wit. 

It will run under the theme, Uncovering Solutions 2020 and intends to highlight and encourage the sharing of practical solutions to the challenges faced by arts and culture practitioners, particularly in the rural, remote and under-resourced areas of South Africa.

“The pandemic and national lockdown has certainly allowed us to see that we do not have all the answers but that sometimes the solutions can be right in front of us,” ACT CEO Marcus Desando said.

“That is why we initiated the ACT Tlholo Project, so that we could source from the actual practitioner on the ground on how we can bring about change and respond to the current reality and its challenges.”

The project will profile artists and organisations that have developed solutions and best practices, build capacity for knowledge sharing, produce podcasts based on the proposed solutions, and create resources – such as videos and PDFs – to complement the podcasts

Nedbank head of group sponsorships and cause marketing Tobie Badenhorst said: “Under extreme COVID-19 conditions, our artists and arts and culture professionals and communities had to reassess how to survive and sustain themselves completely. They have needed to adapt rapidly, and redefine and reinvent how they create and produce.

"Through the ACT Tlholo Project we want to share collective learnings and approaches that can help our artists going forward, and breathe new life into our arts, culture and heritage industry in every part of our country.”

The project’s call for applications will be published in November and will run until February 2021.

Find more about the Tlholo Project here.