Vernon Head, Mandla Radebe among winners at Cultural and Creative Industry Awards

• The newly founded Cultural and Creative Industry Awards are an initiative of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture.
• Creatives in literature, film, theatre, heritage, design, and other categories received acknowledgement of their achievements. 
• Shaun de Waal looks at all the authors recognised in the category of literary works.

The inaugural South African Cultural and Creative Industry Awards (CCIA) were handed out at a function at the Sandton Convention Centre on 30 March.

The newly founded awards, an initiative of the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, are intended to be "the most desired cultural recognition in the South African creative industry", and creatives in literature, film, theatre, heritage, design, and other categories received acknowledgement of their achievements.

In the category of literary works, the awards are:

Fiction

1. On That Wave of Gulls by Vernon Head

2. Bohale Ba Tlhaka by Matseko Ramotekoa

3. Paperless by Buntu Siwisa

Non-fiction

1. The Lost Prince of the ANC by Mandla J Radebe

2. Letters to My Mother by Kumi Naidoo 

3. Maye! Maye! by Sipho Sithole 

Children's books

1. The Pikinini Scientist Sprinkles Some Love Dust by Sarona Lengana

2. Tshama?o by Pha?hutshedzo ?etshivhulana)

3. Mommy Touched Me Stan Montsho

Publishers

1. De Wee Production

2. Itumeleng Qhali

3. Book Dash

The awards are described as an "integrated all-encompassing awards platform for the art, culture and heritage sector. This is to be the most desired cultural recognition in the South African creative industry".

"These awards will be bestowed annually to South Africa's leading creatives in the various creative sector categories and subdomains, who exhibit outstanding artistic and technical achievement, those who push boundaries of their creative ability and show devotion to excellence, shining the spotlight on the most outstanding creator from the best."

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The SA Cultural and Creative Industry Awards (CCIA), said the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, were "an initiative that affords an opportunity for creatives and South Africans to honour the best among us, to acknowledge the wisdom, voice and experience of the creative community and its indomitable positive influence on the country's nation building project and its ability to inspire the world".

"Among several reasons, these awards are intended to intentionally lift up, support the creative and cultural riches that join people together, nourish the spirit, liven up communities, inspire and create a vibrant nation, to also benchmark ourselves against the best in the world as we do them, to create a truly special moment," said Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa.

Awards were also made in categories such as heritage sites, visual arts and crafts, audiovisual and interactive media, performing arts, design, and fashion.

Some of these categories weren't awarded this year because of insufficient quality and quantity of nominees, said the organisers.

The literature category of the CCIA is the third state-funded award in South Africa today.

The others are the SA Literary Awards (Salas) and National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences Awards.

The Salas are awarded in the second half of the year and the NIHSS awards in the first half, but neither does any publicity to make them known to the general public, apart from sporadic posts on social media.

The NIHSS did not reply to an email requesting information about the awards and the winners of the recent round, and the information is not on its website.