SAMRO bursaries help almost 100 students to ‘compose their future’ The Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) is paying it forward to nurture the musicians of tomorrow! This year, 99 music students at nine South African public universities will receive almost R1.2 million in bursaries from SAMRO to assist with their studies.
M
ost of the recipients of the SAMRO bursaries
special award for research into indigenous
are from the University of Cape Town (24) and
African music.
Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth (19), with the remainder studying at the
She writes: ‘I was elated and grateful to learn that I was selected as the recipient
universities of the Witwatersrand, Stellenbosch, KwaZulu-
of your bursary… [which] has encouraged
Natal, North West, Pretoria and Rhodes, as well as at the
and motivated me to work even harder to
Tshwane University of Technology.
produce quality research.
The SAMRO Foundation’s Managing Director, André le
‘I hope to inspire, influence, impact
Roux, says the organisation is continually streamlining its
and nurture growth in others as Professor
music bursary application process. This year’s application
Mzilikazi Khumalo has done and continues
form was available online from December 2017, giving
to do. I hope to one day emulate your
students enough time to gather the required documents and
generosity and assist students [in
submit their applications.
achieving] their dreams, just as you have
Several grateful recipients have written to SAMRO to express their delight and gratitude, with a Rhodes student
supported me.’ Motswedi Modiba, another Wits
saying the news was ‘music to my ears’, and a UKZN student
student, has three siblings still at school,
noting that it was proof that ‘there’s absolutely nothing
making it difficult for her parents to pay fees for all of them.
wrong with dreaming big’.
She is now able to resume her studies, thanks to the SAMRO
‘We’ve received countless letters of thanks from
bursary. ‘What was once a mountain that seems impossible
appreciative students, who now have some of the financial
to climb is now a hill that I can conquer. I am eternally
pressure lifted from their shoulders. It means the world to
grateful to the SAMRO team!’
us as the Foundation to see how much these bursaries mean
In expressing her gratitude, Rikalet Mostert from NMU
to them, as a solid investment in our future musicians and
says that this bursary will ‘really assist me in growing into
educators,’ Le Roux says.
the musician I want to be, with regards to being able to
Although most of this year’s recipients are second-year,
spend more time on developing my art and having to do
third-year, fourth-year and Honours students, a significant
fewer shifts in my day job in order to support my studies. I
number – 14 – are studying music at Master’s level.
hope to have the honour, in the future, of being one of the
One of the SAMRO Foundation’s focus areas is enriching the country’s body of indigenous music
musicians that promotes the name of SAMRO.’ Brownlee Dlulane, a second-year student at Wits, writes:
knowledge. Among the future scholars committed to
‘Thank you so much to the SAMRO team for watering the
achieving this goal is Wits Master’s student Thembela
seed I am trying to grow. It is moments like these I will
Ndesi, who won the R30 000 SAMRO Mzilikazi Khumalo
look back on in life and always be thankful for. SAMRO has
60 / Creative Feel / July 2018
