William Kentridge and Banele Khoza
According to the chair of the 2020 awards adjudication panel, Kojo Baffoe: “The arts form a significant component of the soul of any society. They enrich in ways that go beyond the aesthetic and have a role in the development of communities and society." Baffoe has served on the awards panel for eight years (with the last three as chair). "I am always enthused by the depth of the support and the variety of projects. One thing that has always stood out is how the partnerships are about real support as opposed to merely doing it to ‘look good’ from a business perspective. Also, during a turbulent time such as the one in which we’re all living, we need to keep doing things today to guarantee we have arts projects tomorrow."
“Both partnership and the arts are in our DNA, which is why we love working with the Basa Awards. Our purpose is to enable more people to create and secure a better future, and that has become even more important during these turbulent times,” says Heidi Brauer, Hollard’s chief marketing officer. At least 50% of Hollard's usual contribution has been redirected to support 23 individual artists via the Basa Artist Relief Fund. “We are passionate about ensuring that artists are able to continue creating and earning,” Brauer adds.
The 23rd annual Basa Awards partnered by Hollard honours and recognises the diverse and imaginative relationships forged between business partners and creative projects, events and initiatives in the seven categories, and the winners are as follows:
Beyond Borders
Awarded to a partnership that builds brand reputation and audience for both the business and arts partner across borders, through a project showcasing South Africa to the rest of the continent and/or overseas, or bringing international or intercontinental arts projects to South Africa.
Winner: Nike, Inc./Mother Tongue Collective (Pty) Ltd (t/a Karabo Poppy) for Nike By Karabo Poppy
Community Development
Recognises business support for arts and culture projects enhancing their communities, whether through education, skills development, contributing to livelihoods or employment, tourism or other growth opportunities in the community.
Winner: MTN SA Foundation/Imbali Visual Literacy Project for Roll-out and Teachers’ Workshops for Imbali Artbooks: Adventuring into Art
Innovation
Celebrating the most innovative, cutting edge and progressive partnership that served all partners’ purposes effectively. These breakthrough projects and partnerships demonstrate great creativity, originality, reinvention, new methodologies or technological/digital innovation.
Winner: V&A Waterfront/NGOs in different communities across South Africa and Africa for Joy from Africa to the World
SMME
Awarded for vital support given to the arts by a micro, small or medium enterprise with up to 200 hundred full-time employees and an annual turnover of no more than R10m.
Winner: The Marimba Workshop (Pty) Ltd/Education Africa for International Marimba and Steelpan Festival
Long-Term Partnership
Recognising outstanding initiative and commitment to the arts over a longer period (at least one year) as an integral part of the business’s strategy. The value to the arts project, the broader community and the business, must be apparent.
Winner: Standard Bank of South Africa Limited/National Arts Festival for The Standard Bank Young Artist Awards
Sponsorship In-Kind
Acknowledging a business giving quantifiable and impactful non-monetary support to the arts. This may be through in-kind provision of equipment, materials, media or PR support, space, transportation or travel or any other products or services, as opposed to monetary sponsorship.
Winner: Fundación Otro Sur/Electric South for African Virtual Reality Showcase in Columbia
First-Time Sponsor
Awarded to a business supporting the arts for the first time, regardless of size, budget, whether it is CSI, marketing, HR, B-BBEE or other.
Winner: Henley Business School Africa/The Coloured Cube for Henley Resurgence
In addition, the recipient of this year’s Basa Chairman’s Advocacy Award, selected at the discretion of the Basa chair, is William Kentridge for The Centre for the Less Good Idea. The award is presented in recognition of sustained and extraordinary commitment to the arts in South Africa, in the form of advocacy and awareness initiatives and/or direct support for the arts, whether in a personal or professional capacity at a local, national or international level.
Anyone can stream the 2020 Basa Awards ceremony, emceed by Fleur-du-Cap award-winner Roshina Ratnam and founder of Fomo Fridays Joburg Ayabonga Lwazi Ngoma, by logging on to basa.co.za/awards at your leisure, at any time from 7pm on 19 November 2020. The ceremony was directed by Alby Michaels and features music by uKhoiKhoi, with musician/composer Yogin Sullaphen performing alongside vocalist and performing artist Anelisa Stuurman. Visitors will have the option to interact with various elements of the awards’ platform, including video on demand for each of the categories and winners, a virtual 3D exhibition by Banele Khoza, and the Basa Awards podcast series hosted by news anchor Samm Marshall.
About the Basa Awards
The annual Basa Awards recognise business support of and partnerships with the arts. One of Basa’s flagship events, the awards platform assists in promoting mutually beneficial, equitable and sustainable business partnerships with the arts. The awards categories encompass all creative mediums and a wide spectrum of partnerships. In addition, special awards are made annually at the discretion of the Basa board of directors to celebrate remarkable contributions by individuals, organisations and businesses.
Basa is constituted in terms of the new Companies Act and is registered as a public benefit organisation. The board of directors comprises Charmaine Soobramoney (chairperson) Mandie van der Spuy (deputy chair), Ashraf Johaardien (CEO), Kojo Baffoe (Basa Awards chairperson), Kathy Berman, Devi Sankaree Govender, Hilton Lawler, Khanyi Mamba, Unathi Malunga, Makgati Molebatsi, Zingisa Motloba, Dr Yacoob Omar and Mirna Wessels.
For more information or to become a Basa member please visit www.basa.co.za.
