“We have a stellar jury this year to review our record number of entries,” says Eben Keun, Pendoring’s GM, “We have steadily increased entries since we took over management of the awards, while also working to drive them into a more inclusive and diverse space. This year, we have reached a new record high, which is indicative really of South Africa embracing and celebrating the use of our indigenous languages more and more in all communication.”
The jury members are:
Pendoring’s campaign this year focuses on the importance of developing multilingualism in society. In a country where more than 91% of South Africans have an indigenous mother tongue, mono-culture strips us of our dignity and rich cultural resources in favour of internationalisation. The female-led campaign by Think Creative Africa and visual artist Lady Skollie makes a bold call for our mother tongues and for multilingualism to be applied at all levels of society, from early childhood development to the corporate environment. This is underpinned by the global UN Decade of Indigenous Languages that kicks off in 2022.