Indian-origin art lover Ismail Mahomed conferred knighthood by French government

An Indian-origin art lover and playwright Ismail Mahomed from South Africa has been knighted by the French government for his lifelong devotion to the promotion of arts.
He was bestowed with Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature (The Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres) by French Ambassador Elisabet Barbier in Johannesburg.

About Ismail Mahomed

• Presently, Ismail Mahomed is working as the Artistic Director of the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.
• He has a long standing relationship with France and has brokered several collaborations between French and South Africa artists.
• Awards and Honours: He has received numerous other awards in his career, including a Merit Honour Award for consistent high cultural programming from the US State Department’s Africa Bureau.
• In 1999, he was awarded Premier’s Award for developing and promoting the arts and culture sector as an economic enterprise in the South African province of Mpumalanga.

About Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature

• Established in 1957 by the Minister of Culture. The knighthood is bestowed on people for their significant contributions to French culture through arts and literature.
• Other South Africans who have received this distinction include artists William Kentridge and Gerard Sekoto, filmmaker Ramadan Suleman and musician Johnny Clegg.