The 2015 Mbokodo Award winners will be honoured at a gala function held at the Johannesburg City Hall on Friday, 11 September 2015.

“We are delighted that we will be honouring phenomenal women on the night. Singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka and fashion designer Marianne Fassler will both be honoured as Mbokodo Arts Ambassadors as well as legendary jazz artist Thandi Klaasen will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award,” says Carol Bouwer, executive producer for Mbokodo Awards.

Women at the heart of South Africa’s arts and culture will be been honoured. They range from film-maker and actor Terry Pheto and comedian Irit Noble to musician Zolani Mahola, photographer Jodi Bieber and arts promoter Brenda Sisane.

“Women are the rock on which our arts and culture are built,” says Bouwer. “The Mbokodo Awards emphasise the prestige of women in the arts, their role in creating the fabric of our heritage and their resilient and outstanding contribution in positioning South Africa to become the progressive country it is today.”

Inclusivity is an important factor in the awards, which celebrate women’s contribution to the ongoing development of the arts in South Africa, says Bouwer.

“The 20 categories celebrate women who contribute in many different ways, are of different ages and may be artists with special needs,” she says.

The Mbokodo Awards have a national and a nation-building footprint so nominees come from all cultural groups and from across the country.

“Creativity is forged in a crucible where passion and vision coalesce,” says Professor Pitika Ntuli, convenor of the judging panel and an artist, sculptor, poet and academic in his own right. “I have a special respect for women’s talent for multitasking and the strength of purpose it takes to be creative because I grew up with strong women in my life – my mother and sisters.”

“For women, the crucible of creativity must be made of rock,” he says. “They need the same rocklike determination to succeed as the women who contributed so much to the foundation of our democracy – and to our developing cultural consciousness.”

Professor Ntuli looks forward to exciting and energising debate as the judging panel whittles down the list of nominees to decide the final list of winners.

“Searching for our winners is always a wonderful process of discovery as unsung heroines are revealed and fresh depths of talent are unveiled in established stars,” he says. “Our judges’ discussions are typically long and robust. Consensus is hard won but it is essential if we are to determine our eventual winners appropriately and honour the enriching work of all those who have been nominated.”

The Mbokodo Awards provide a consolidated platform for promoting and celebrating the outstanding role of women in the arts which did not exist when the awards were conceptualised in 2010.

“The awards celebrate the way women in arts and culture have contributed to the South African process of social cohesion over the past two decades of our new democracy,” says Bouwer. “They also encourage them to renew their commitment to this vital endeavour.”

For more information, visit www.mbokodoawards.co.za. Alternatively connect with them on Facebook or on Twitter.