The National Arts Festival this week announced six young South Africans as winners of the prestigious 2015 Standard Bank Young Artist Award.
The National Arts Festival this week announced six young South Africans as winners of the prestigious 2015 Standard Bank Young Artist Award.
A few hours after the announcement of the all male group, they responded to the barrage of criticism on their Facebook site by saying that the selection doesn't mean anything more than that the most deserving artists this year "happen to be all men".
This years winners of the award, made annually to young artists who are either on the threshold of national acclaim or whose artistic excellence has enabled them to make international breakthroughs, are: Luyanda Sidiya for Dance Nduduzo Makhathini for Jazz Kemang Wa Lehulere for Visual Art Musa Ngqungwana for Music Athi-Patra Ruga for Performance Art Christiaan Olwagen for Theatre The Facebook posting emphasised that the NAF and Standard Bank have great respect for the enormous contribution made to the arts by women and feel comfortable that they have recognized them over the years.
"The various comments about the gender disparity among the winners have been noted," it said.
"Since their inception more than 30 years ago, the Standard Bank Young Artist Awards have honoured dozens of South Africa’s rising stars. On a few occasions the number of women winners has exceeded the number of men and there has been at least one year – 1990 – where all of the winners were women.
We do not believe that the naming of an all-male set of winners for 2015 is indicative of anything other than that the artists believed to be most deserving of the award this year all happen to be men."
Since 1984, 137 young artists have won the award, which involves a cash incentive and an opportunity to develop and première a new work to be included on the NAF's main programme, to be held next year from 2 to 12 July.
