MyPE

Community Business Directory, Event Listings, News and Views from Gqeberha, Nelson Mandela Bay

Is the NAC Corupt or Inept?

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Dear MyPE

Earlier this month I was informed by the National Arts Council, that my proposal to run a children’s art project at the Red Location Cultural Precinct had been approved. (Special PESP grant for artists). See: https://m.facebook.com/groups/artistdatabase/permalink/2814337252173823/

It is my hope that positive activities at the long closed Red Location Cultural Precinct, can stimulate positive directions towards getting the precinct operational again.

The project, under the name of ran successfully under to umbrella of the NMBM & Göteborg partnership between Jan 2003 to Dec 2005.

I founded the Art Centre in Nov 2001, after I had won an artist residency scholarship to Göteborg, through the twinning partnership in Sep 2001. I was so overwhelmed by this awesome gift and when I saw what a huge importance the Arts sector played in Sweden, I felt deeply inspired to let my gift and experiences overflow into my community.

During our 20 year commemoration function of the partnership, in 2019, the Dep Mayor of Göteborg, mentioned that the heart of the twinning partnership lies in Olof Palme Street, which runs through the Red Location Cultural Precinct, so I would humbly love to stir, if possible, activities at the Precinct, regarding her passionate statement made. Hoping that in doing so, that serious attention might hopefully be given towards getting our amazing Red Location Cultural Precinct operational again.

The Red Location community is behind this children’s art project, through inroads made by Lungelo Ngabaza, who lives directly opposite the Red Location Museum. And he is kindly assisting organising the 15 children we need (between ages 10 – 15) whom we would love to participate in the Art Project.

BUT

Questions are being raised around the distribution of these monies and whether they will ever reach the artists. Please be informed that even though my NAC (PESP) grant application (second wave) has been approved, and appears as such on their website, that it has come to the fore that the NAC is apparently involved in swindling the funds/grants of artists – and that even though they approve and send contracts for artists to sign, that the funding never actually came through during the first wave.

This is indeed very terrible for our artists and affected communities. In my case – the Red Location community – where my grant application is for teaching art to some of their children.

My project is supposed to run from 20 Mar to 5 Jun, once weekly, with 15 kids.

I would sincerely appreciate if some urgent investigation journalism can be done, and if the NAC could be exposed if corruption is taking place there.

Please listen to this NAC exposure presentation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Im4theArts/permalink/434686924532328/?sfnsn=scwshmo

This is the website link of the NAC where it shows that my PESP grant application was approved: https://www.nac.org.za/funding-news/outcome-list-for-the-presidential-employment-stimulus-programme/.

I would sincerely appreciate your urgent follow up on these allegations against the NAC.

Regards

Annette Du Plessis

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Port Elizabethan

This author is a 'catch-all' for occasional articles and letters written to MyPE. The Author of each article can be found in the signature at the bottom of each individual article.