A leader in the arts
The Rotary Club of Grahamstown recently honoured Ismail Mahomed, outgoing Director of the National Arts Festival, for his outstanding contribution to the arts in Grahamstown, the Eastern Cape and the country as a whole. He was made a Paul Harris Fellow, the highest honour that Rotary can bestow. Gavin Keeton read the citation, which said in part:
“Tonight the Rotary Club of Grahamstown is honouring Ismail Mahomed for the work he has done for Grahamstown, the Eastern Cape and for the arts throughout South Africa.
“Since deviating from mathematics, Ismail’s career has been rooted in the arts where he has played significant leadership roles.
“As Director of the Creative Arts Workshop, he played a major role in developing the company to become a significant presenter of work at major arts festivals. In 1995, he brought six productions to the National Arts Festival and followed this with 13 productions on the Fringe in 1996.
“During 1995, the University of Witwatersrand contracted Ismail to co-ordinate the International Social History Festival for the university. His success in growing the festival in terms of broadening its content, audience base and its media exposure resulted in the university proposing a full time offer of employment to him. Fortunately for us, he turned this down in favour of continuing to work as a freelance festival producer.
“Ismail was Director of the Witbank Civic Theatre in Mpumalanga. Appointed to this position soon after the first democratic elections in South Africa, he was tasked with drafting and directing a transformation model for the Witbank Civic Theatre in terms of a national programme for the transformation of cultural centres in South Africa.
“Ismail is a published playwright whose work has been staged both in South Africa and abroad. In 2006, the Arts and Culture Trust honoured him with the Arts Administrator of the Year Award. His theatre-in-education project Newsblitz! was the winner of the Caxton Media in Education award. His other significant awards include being finalist for the Amstel Playwright of the Year Award, finalist for the PANSA Playwright of the Year, as well being the holder of the Adam Leslie Rose Bowl for Excellence in Theatre Management. In February 2016, he was honoured by the French Government for fostering partnerships between South African and French artists and arts organisations.
“With more than 30 years of experience in leadership positions, Ismail’s proven abilities as a successful and accomplished arts manager and his extensive network of national and international collabora- tions made him the perfect choice as Artistic Director of the National Arts Festival. He assumed this position in May 2008 and during his term of office has contributed significantly to the Festival’s annual growth in terms of funding, content and audiences development.”