adminBruce Ndlovu Showbiz Reporter
AMAKHOSI Cultural Centre last week received the Prince Claus International award, an accolade that comes with 25,000 euros, in recognition of their contribution to culture and development in Zimbabwe. Now in their 19th edition, the Prince Claus awards, held in the Netherlands each year, are presented to individuals, groups and organisations whose cultural actions have a positive impact on the development of their societies.
The Prince Claus Fund was inaugurated in 1996 and is named in honour of Prince Claus of the Netherlands.
This year, Amakhosi received the award with 10 other recipients who include Jean-Pierre Bekolo (filmmaker from Cameroon), Oksana Shatalova (visual artist, critic and curator from Kazakhstan), Ossama Mohammed (filmmaker from Syria) Fatos Lubonja (writer from Albania), Newsha Tavakolian (photojournalist and artist from Iran), Jelili Atiku (performance artiste from Nigeria), Y’en a Marre (hip-hop from Senegal) Latif Al-Ani (photographer from Iraq) Etcetera public-art collective (public-art collective from Argentina) and Perhat Khaliq (musician from China).
Amakhosi director Cont Mhlanga accepted the award from Honorary chairman of the Prince Claus Fund, Prince Constantijn at the Royal Palace in the Netherlands.
Since the awards inception in 2007, only four Zimbabweans and local organisations have had the honour of receiving the awards. These are architect Mick Pearce, comedian Carl Langeveldt, The Book Cafe and Chimurenga – a Pan-African publication on culture and the Zimbabwe International Book Fair.
Amakhosi has churned out some of the country’s greatest productions in theatre and film, giving birth to some of the biggest artistic talents in the process.
In a previous interview when the award winners were announced in September, Mhlanga said although he was elated, the recognition felt somewhat hollow as he would have preferred to have been similarly honoured at home.
“This award is recognition of the work that the young people of Bulawayo have been doing because we’re being recognised for projects which they’ve had an active part in.
“As I grow older, such awards make me sad because they’re more of an indication of the failure of my own people. This award is decided by international judges, some of whom have never set foot in Bulawayo or Harare,” Mhlanga said.
Online Reporter