The Order of Ikhamanga in Silver

Rashid Lombard Awarded for:

His excellent contribution to arts and culture and his dedication to promoting jazz music that has put South Africa on the map for many jazz enthusiasts around the world.

Profile of Rashid Lombard

Rashid Lombard has played a pivotal role in conceptualising, strategising and implementing the marketing strategies for the Cape Town International Jazz Festival. He has been the organiser behind the positioning of South Africa through the arts in the North Sea Jazz Festival, Cape Town (now known as the Cape Town International Jazz Festival). Lombard is the Chief Executive Officer of espAFRIKA, the major events company based in Cape Town, and Festival Director of the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.

In a short three-year period the festival has become the premier jazz festival in the country and has built a reputation for excellence in the world. He has been accepted as a member of the prestigious European Jazz Promoters Association, which boasts the membership of The North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague, Holland and the world-renowned Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland together with eight other international jazz festivals. In South Africa the festival has become a major destination for all South Africans and it cuts across all demographics. More than 2 000 corporate executives, 15 Cabinet ministers and large numbers of senior government officials and parliamentarians make the trip to the festival annually. The programming of the festival is deliberately aimed at showcasing 50% South African and 50% International.

Under his leadership, Lombard has ensured that communities in the peripheries are also benefiting from the Cape Town International Jazz Festival’s Training and Development Programme. This training is helping children from disadvantaged communities to discover their creative side through dance and music. In 2013, more than 100 orphaned and previously disadvantaged children from two non-profit organisations, Lalela Project and Where Rainbows Meet, enjoyed the show entitled “My African Beat.” The show is family-oriented and caters for ages three to 10 years.