GAUTENG ORGANISATION OF COMMUNITY ARTS AND CULTURE CENTRES
CHAIRPERSON’S REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022

Overview

Our work during this period consisted of:

• Completing our funding contract with the Department of Arts and Culture. This included participants from Central, West Rand and Ekurhuleni participating in a developmental Digital Media programme focussing on film documentaries.
• National Lottery Commission enabled us to include Tshwane in the Digital Media programme. Thereafter we ran workshops showcasing poetry and drama in the five regions of Gauteng.
• The National Arts Council’s Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme enabled us to retain 30 practitioners in the 5 regions of Gauteng, each region having 6 practitioners on the ground working within both township and rural communities.
• The City of Johannesburg programme funded 1) Capacity Building for Arts and Culture Organisations and 2) Training with Showcasing within Disability Special Schools.
• Mentoring our member groups.
• Communications via our Facebook and Website.

Department of Arts and Culture Programme

During this period we closed a funding contract received from the Department of Arts and Culture and after the popular developmental Digital Media course, which included participants from Central, West Rand and Ekurhuleni, we focussed on final reports to complete the funding received for the period.

Training for Digital Media was both theory and practical and led by experienced trainers in their field. The theory training covered an introduction to the film and television industry, the various career roles, tasks and opportunities. This covered television guidelines, documentary programmes, terminologies, techniques and requirements. Script writing, research and interviewing followed and the different groups were also asked to set up and decide who was to carry out the different roles of their team on site. Onsite setup, sound, videography, editing and lighting were explained before the field practical experience of shooting and editing took place. Video lessons were played on field shooting and input given on selection of actors, makeup and presentation. Scripts were tweaked from time to time and trainers worked alongside the participants throughout the experience assisting with the final editing.

During this time we were further notified of future funding channels that DAC wished to take going forward. Instead of GOMACC receiving funding directly as previously arranged, future funds would be channelled through Provincial Government structures on a national basis. This led to a number of meetings with our Province where dialogue and input ensued together with setting up a future Provincial budget.

National Lottery Commission

The National Lottery Commission funding enabled us to continue with the Digital Media training which on this occasion encompassed participants from a number of districts in Tshwane. Due to travel distances we were able to support the group with a small travel stipend. The same training course procedure as before followed but instead of hiring equipment Lottery enabled us to buy both the camera and editing suite for future in-house courses. Due to Covid, film via YouTube and other avenues became a popular communication channel, in addition to assisting in creating job opportunities at a local level.

The Poetry and Drama showcasing was the second programme for which funding was received. We delivered poetry and drama showcasing in the five regions of Gauteng which enabled us to keep a presence and in touch with our communities.

We continued to be observant of Covid and the necessary protocols in implementing our programmes. At all times we adhered to these protocols and on occasion utilised outside spaces in preference to internal ones.

National Arts Council

Through the National Arts Council’s Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme we were able to keep 30 of our practitioners working in the 5 regions of Gauteng for a further period of three months. This greatly assisted the challenging unemployment conditions caused by Covid in our country. It helped bridge a critical gap in the lives of our trainers and keep the arts visible amongst our youth throughout the Province. This was a multi-disciplinary programme covering theatre, music and dance.

City of Johannesburg

The City of Johannesburg funded GOMACC to provide 1) Capacity Building for Arts and Culture Organisations and 2) Training with Showcasing within Special (Disability) Schools. This was continued funding from COJ repeating programmes that we had implemented in the previous year. Our programme prepared the children living with disabilities to participate in the event. The event was welcomed as this sector is often ignored when it comes to providing programmes of this nature. It included marimba, choirs and solo, gumboot dancing, contemporary dance and visual arts on display on the day. The participants all received medals, trophies and certificates. The Capacity Building workshops for start-ups and smaller NGO’s covered organisational subjects together with business plans, finance, compliance, funding and reporting. These sessions were flighted on our Facebook page to include those who could not participate physically or due to transport constraints could at least take part in the sessions.

Mentoring the Makala Structures

Providing an advice office to our structures continues. At each of our Annual AGM’s we give our Regional Chairpersons the opportunity to share with the meeting the impact the various interventions have made on the communities they represent and serve. To share both the opportunities and challenges they are facing. Structures and individual groups have been encouraged to raise their own funding whereby they engage each other in events in which funding has been received.

Their members are encouraged to approach the office in Newtown for assistance in matters such as fundraising, reporting, administration support and information.

Facebook and Website

Covid in particular has increased our usage of Facebook. With our Facebook and Webpage updated we were able to share events with our communities. In particular the COJ training presentations were recorded live so that others not able to attend the course physically were able to follow the proceedings.

Funding Focus

Where the Department of Arts and Culture in the past were our main supporter in the variety of programmes we have run in Gauteng, we were encouraged to utilise other avenues, as shared in this report, to continue to reach and support communities to participate in the arts. It is important that our development in the arts continues in order promote a variety of benefits. There is a need and demand from the community that we continue our developmental programmes that can be used to increase their development and gain skills that can be utilised in finding a number of work opportunities in other sectors.

Our Thanks

Our many thanks again for funding received from the Department of Arts and Culture, the National Lottery Commission, The National Arts Council and the City of Johannesburg that enabled many in the arts to participate in a variety of programmes. We sincerely wish to thank all those people who have worked with us in the development of the arts during this financial year as we continue to move forward.