Celenhle Dlamini

Her Royal Highness Princess Celenhle Dlamini serves as the current Chairperson of the National Arts Council (NAC), the largest government owned funding organisation specifically for the Arts and Culture sector in South Africa that is responsible for serving most of the arts disciplines namely, Dance, Music, Theatre, Craft, Literature, Visual Arts and Multidiscipline.

Princess Cee as she is affectionately known, also served on the global L’Oreal Panel of Critical Friends, an external global governance body responsible for examining the progress made by L’Oreal on its global sustainability programme; she is the former Chairperson of Artscape, the Western Cape Performing Arts State Theatre.

She holds a Master's Degree in Entrepreneurship & New Venture Creation (Wits University, South Africa), a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration (Bennett College, USA), Management Advancement Programme (Wits University, South Africa) and an Executive Leadership Development Certificate with Duke Corporate Education (Duke University).

National Arts Council Of South Africa

The National Arts Council of South Africa (NAC) is an Agency of the National Department of Sport, Arts and Culture. It was established in April 1997 through an act of Parliament (Act No. 56 of 1997). It is the largest Arts & Culture funding agency in South Africa, responsible for serving most of the arts disciplines namely, Dance, Music, Theatre, Craft, Literature, Visual Arts and Multidiscipline.

The mandate of the NAC is (a) to provide, and encourage the provision of, opportunities for persons to practise the arts; (b) to promote the appreciation, understanding and enjoyment of the arts; (c) to promote the general application of the arts in the community; (d) to foster the expression of a national identity and consciousness by means of the arts; (e) to uphold and promote the right of any person to freedom in the practice of the arts; (f) to give the historically disadvantaged such additional help and resources as are required to give them greater access to the arts; (g) to address historical imbalances in the provision of infrastructure for the promotion of the arts; (h) to promote and facilitate national and international liaison between individuals and institutions in respect of the arts; (i) to develop and promote the arts and to encourage excellence.

Dr. Joanna C. Lee (Moderator)

Dr. Joanna C. Lee has served as consultant and translator for such institutions as the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall and the New York Asian Film Festival. Since 2004, she is the regular host and interpreter at the Hong Kong International Film Festival and the Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum. She was a publicity consultant for the “Big Five” American orchestras on their Asian tours as well as consulting producer for San Francisco Opera’s Dream of the Red Chamber. She is currently serving as outreach consultant for multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions in New York. She has served as an on-stage interpreter for former US President Jimmy Carter, Chinese director Jia Zhangke and artist Xu Bing, as well as provided opera surtitles for the China National Centre for the Performing Arts and the Beijing Music Festival. She is the English surtitle author for the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre since 2007.

Photo Credit: Lia Chang

• Simultaneous interpretation is available in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
• Holders of the HKPAX Full Pass, Day Pass and Student Pass can access all sessions of Conversations. Spaces are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Online pre-registration is required.