Bulelwa Basse’s organisation, Lyrical Base Project, provides a platform for budding writers from marginilised communities to hone their craft and express themselves. (Images: Supplied)
Lyrical Base Project, a literary and performing arts platform, has been awarded Best Contribution to Literary Arts in the 2016 Cultural Affairs Awards Ceremony.
The event, which took place on Wednesday, 3 February, was hosted by the Western Cape government’s department of cultural affairs and sport. The awards acknowledge the achievements of individuals and organisations in the fields of language, arts and culture, heritage, museums, geographical names, libraries and archives.
Lyrical Base Project founder and Play Your Part ambassador Bulelwa Basse received the award for the organisation. Following the ceremony, Basse said to those who were pursuing their life’s purpose that “the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams”.
Lyrical Base Project promotes writers from Cape Town’s marginalised communities through community-publishing projects, performance poetry, cultural and corporate events. It is celebrating 10 years since its inception in 2006.
“As a proudly self-sustainable literary and performing arts organisation, there’s no better way to begin this journey of celebration, than to bring home the award for Best Contribution to Literary Arts,” said Basse.
One of the initiatives that the organisation runs is the Donate a Book to a Child programme, which endorses a reading culture. Individuals, organisations and businesses are encouraged to donate books and a series of pre-selected anthologies for disadvantaged high school students, who are offered creative writing workshops by Lyrical Base Project.
Bulelwa Basse, centre, with the award for Best Contribution to Literary Arts. She is pictured with the director of Artscape Theatre, Marlene LeRoux, left, and Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, Anroux Marais.
BASSE, THE PASSIONATE WORDSMITH
Basse’s experience in writing and literature has been varied and wide. She has collaborated nationally with various arts education and literary establishments as a language facilitator, published and performed poetry, is a public speaker and events co-ordinator. Her writing has been published by the Poetry Institute of Africa, University of KwaZulu-Natal Press, Department of Arts and Culture and O, The Oprah Magazine.
She is passionate about the empowerment of women and has been involved in Bona magazine’s Women Empowerment Club, True Love magazine’s Winning Style and Move magazine’s empowerment initiatives, for which she’s both hosted and performed her poetry as a motivational tool. She is also the editor of Muse, an electronic poetry publishing and profiling magazine.
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