Of Soul and Joy is a social and artistic mentoring programme created in 2012 by Rubis Mécénat to enable young people aged 13 to 30, from the township of Thokoza and surrounding areas of Johannesburg, to benefit from a framework and training in the field of photography. This tailor-made support system allows them to cultivate artistic expression and access new professional paths, so that they can in turn have a positive impact on their communities. In addition to artistic training, the project offers its beneficiaries further training (professional practices, English, life skills, etc.) and access to a network of key players in the local and international cultural scene. Each year, the project awards academic scholarships to the most promising students for higher education programmes in photography at a university of their choice, including the Market Photo Workshop in Johannesburg.
The project also allows new talents and vocations to emerge: South African photographer Lindokhule Sobekwa, introduced to photography via the Of Soul and Joy project, is today a member of the Magnum Photos agency; South African photographer Tshepiso Mazibuko is a finalist for the 2024 Discovery Award Louis Roeder Foundation at the Rencontres d’Arles.
KEY Figures
13 years of commitment to photography in South Africa
NEARLY 200 ARTISTS AND ART PROFESSIONALS invited to lead workshops and pass along their knowledge
PHOTO FESTIVAL
organised every 3 years in the township of Thokoza to raise awareness among local communities about photography and cultural actions around the project
4 BOOKS PUBLISHED
showcasing the of soul and joy photographers
OVER 100 INTENSIVE WORKSHOPS
lOCATED IN THOKOZA AND REMOTE COMMUNITIES (RURAL ZONES, TOWNSHIPS)
OVER 300 BENEFICIARIES
50 ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS
awarded FOR HIGHER EDUCATION IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Over 30 exhibitions
residencies, educational and cultural exchanges organised with cultural institutions in South Africa and abroad: Magnum Photos, Rencontres d’Arles, Rencontres de Bamako, etc.
2 weekly workshops
Since 2011, Rubis Mécénat, the Rubis group’s endowment fund, has been promoting artistic creation throughout the countries where the Group operates. The fund develops long-term social art initiatives by establishing educational artistic programmes based on the visual arts and design for young adults from disadvantaged communities in some of the countries where the Rubis is active. At the same time, it supports artists in France and abroad by commissioning works for specific places as well as for the Group’s industrial sites, in collaboration with cultural institutions. For each commission, Rubis Mécénat helps to produce the artwork and accompanies the artist throughout the artistic process.The fund also supports the artist in a longer term by purchasing art works and editing publications and artist videos.
Easigas (Pty) Ltd, a subsidiary 55 % owned by Rubis Énergie (France) and 45 % by Reatile Gas (South Africa), has been one of the principal suppliers and distributor of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) on the South African market for the last three decades. Easigas (Pty) Ltd, a responsible company within the energy field in South Africa, decided to engage in social and economic development programmes in order to benefit local communities within the areas where the company is active. In 2012, as part of the fund’s socio-cultural strategy, Rubis Mécénat and Easigas under-took together the development of the Of Soul and Joy project in Thokoza, a township on the outskirts of Alberton (where Easigas has its headquarters) in Gauteng, South Africa. The motivation behind this project is to involve the company and its employees in the local social scene.
OF SOUL AND JOY