Help realize a dream. Art as a business.

My name is Mamma Sibiya, born in Piet Retief Mpumalanga but reside in Johannesburg South Africa. I am an artist, curator, documentary filmmaker, Poet and CEO among other things.

I've always been passionate about storytelling, art, helping and business and I've finally found a way to merge all of these. 

On average a qualification in Film & TV is R82 005 while an undergraduate degree is R107 870 p.a. but the national minimum wage for a laborer in South Africa is R23.19 per hour. In 2021 an average South African household was recorded to have at least 5.25 members. The unemployment rate is more than 30% and expected to be at 40% by 2030. This just shows how impossible it is for many black South Africans to pursue a career in the arts even though there are a lot of talented young people.  

Mammawezizwe Creative Enterprise will be offering 5 different things of which aim to help creatives to take the few critical steps in their careers. 1. Production. We will assist scriptwriters and directors to produce their own films. New podcasters, documentary filmmakers, those that need set experience in other departments and any creatives in need of help with video content. This will allow them to have products for competitions, residencies, film festivals, funding, etc. 2. Curation. Here we will be helping painters, photographers, aspiring curators, etc. to exhibit their works to start building their portfolios. We will curate private events, film festivals and live performances collaborating with different artists. 

Long-term. 3. Property. We will create a creative hub for artists that are still starting out to have a workspace. We will have studios, rent out office space, provide locations for shoots with bigger productions. We are looking into offering different residences in the long run. 4. Workshops. Most black South Africans who cannot afford to move to the cities to pursue their careers do not have access to information. These will be held all over the country in rural areas and townships equipping creatives with all the information they need to grow in their respective fields and hopefully resources they might need to launch their careers. 5. Mentorship programs and grants. Everyone needs a mentor for professional support and advice. 

As a black person who couldn’t afford to go to an art school I know from experience how hard it can be to get a chance in the industry. The first time I was on set I realized I have a passion for storytelling but I had no idea what is needed to achieve that. A lot of creatives are disadvantaged and lack access to information even though they have what it takes. I was fortunate enough to facilitate 2 workshops in rural Daggakraal and there were plenty of talented young people who did not know how to make a living from their crafts from fashion designers to painters to sculptors. It is them that inspire us to start this company because all they need is access to information. To know they can apply for funding, what residences are. To know they need not move to the cities but can practice and make a living from the talents right where they are. 

Most funding opportunity require you to have done some work already whether have a ready made film for a festival, or a profile that shows exhibitions you’ve been a part of, or experience if you are a crew member. Mammawezizwe Creative Enterprise will be the missing middle helping young creatives to produce works that can allow them to apply for funding, residences, and even compete on a global scale. We will collaborate with filmmakers, visual artists, performing artists, podcasters, and promote the work for them helping them to build a name for themselves. Allow them to explore their talents and skills by interning when there’s shoots to get familiar with being on set, intern when we are curating either an exhibition or even to gain experience for their portfolios. 

We are passionate about storytelling and want to work with people that tell the stories of the every day life of South Africans. Most films and video content now focuses on glamourous things but a lot of South Africans do not relate to that so we want to produce films, documentaries and video content for those South Africans. 

We primarily need the funds to add equipment so we can start producing high quality content for paying clients, marketing, getting an office space and to start collaborating with artists as soon as possible.

I would be happy if you could use the [Help by sharing] button to share about my project!