This was after the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) donated R50 000 to Basa for the art programme.
The Basa Awards provide a platform for businesses to recognise the value of the arts in any context, covering everything from visual arts, music, film, dance to architecture.
The Three2Six Programme makes existing resources and facilities, when not in use, available to refugee children aged five to 13.
The project is run by refugee teachers and managed by Sacred Heart College. Classes run at Sacred Heart College and Observatory Girls’ Primary School.
During the August holiday in 2012, the refugee children went on a “Journey with an Artist”.
This project was sponsored by the JSE, Basa and the UK-based Breadsticks Foundation.
The “journey” was a finalist among four projects selected from over 150 candidates, for Basa’s “increasing access to the arts” award.
This nomination justified JSE’s donation to the artistic development of the refugee children.
The “journey” gave children the opportunity to conceptualise and refine an artwork, guided by a group of practicing artists. Many had never painted or sketched before yet the results were remarkable. A number of the children demonstrated potential and exceptional talent.
The art works were auctioned and sold at an exhibition that was professionally curated by Mr Nabeel Essa, from Gifa, and hosted at Sacred Heart College in June.
The auction and sales raised over R50 000, which paid for this year’s Three2Six holiday programme.
This year’s holiday programme took place at Sacred Heart College during the August holiday. Three practicing artists, Ayanda Ogqoyi, John Colombi and Itumeleng Ramurafi, co-ordinated a silkscreen-printing programme for the Three2Six children.
The artistic approach to the holiday programme enables the Three2Six learners to share their stories using their own voices, without putting them at risk.
