A Christmas gift for Ronaldo

Writer Elaine Davie

Christmas is a time of new be- ginnings, of hope for a better future and of faith that your dreams will come true. And that is exactly the kind of Christmas that Ronaldo Bantom, the up-and-coming young artist from Bot River will be spending this year. An announce- ment was made last week by the Abagold Development Trust that Ronaldo had been selected as the winner of the 2023 Luvo Maranti Arts Scholarship.

Regular readers of The Village NEWS who have followed the progress of Luvo Maranti, South Africa’s remark- able young would-be Pavarotti will be aware of the exciting journey he has been on for the past four years. Assisted by a number of benefactors and the backing of Abagold, he has been able to realise his dream of attending UCT’s Opera School and developing his exceptional gift as a tenor. Following his acclaim at the Lyric Academy opera summer school in Vicenza earlier this year, he is now on the brink of an International career.

In the realisation that there must be other equally promising young artists in this region, in October this year, Tim Hedges, Managing Director of Abagold, in association with the Abagold Development Trust (ADT), launched the Luvo Maranti Arts Scholarship, which will be awarded annually to a young person with the artistic talent to succeed at the high- est level. It is intended to support further training and development for gifted artists and in turn, they are expected to reach out to young members of their own community to share their skills.

During a stringent selection process in November three local applicants representing three different artistic disciplines were considered by the panel, consisting of Tim Hedges, ADT trustee Enver Manchest, prominent local musician Louna Stofberg, Luvo Maranti himself, and the writer.

Deserving as all the applicants were, Roberto came through as the unani- mous winner.

A totally self-taught artist, Ronaldo produces the most extraordinary pencil-drawn portraits in the genre of super-realism. To assist his family, he is compelled to work and has thus never had the opportunity to study or engage in his art form on a full-time basis. For the past two years he has worked in the art materials section of PNA at the Whale Coast Mall. Now, almost overnight, his life is being completely transformed.

It all started when he encountered Vivienne Mitchley, founder of the Hermanus Visual Art and Design Centre, when she came to purchase art materials from him. After a couple of visits, he summoned up the courage to show her the work he was produc- ing at night in the home he shares with his grandmother in Bot River.

She was blown away, and when she heard about the Luvo Maranti Art Scholarship, she encouraged him to enter. Not only that, but she offered him a job and from the beginning of 2023, he will be joining her as a facil- itator at her Hawston art project. As well as passing on her skills to him, Ronaldo will have the opportunity to continue with his own art work.

The Scholarship will enable him to sign up for a number of national and international on-line training courses and will provide him with the necessary soft and hardware to do so. The funds will also assist with the purchase of art materials for his own use and for outreach to young art pupils from the less privileged communities of Bot River.

Ronaldo currently exhibits his work at every chance he gets and he recently won first prize at the annual Greyton Art Walk. Eventually, he says he hopes to be able to earn enough from his art to “help my parents out of poverty and inspire other young people like myself”. He looks up to Hermanus artist Jono Dry who is achieving great success overseas and who has been encouraging him in his work. Now Luvo will be there, too, to advise and guide him.

‘Can anything good come out of Nazareth?’ goes the ancient rhetori- cal question. Substitute the name of the equally small village of Bot River and we would know the answer. Well done, Ronaldo, we look forward to following your exciting adventure towards self-development, fame and fortune.

BELOW: Ronaldo Bantom has been working in the art materials section of PNA in the Whale Coast Mall for the past two years and is looking forward to starting his new job next year with Vivi- enne Mitchley at the Hermanus Visual Art and Design Centre. RIGHT: Some of the extraordinary pen- cil-drawn artworks in the genre of super-realism that impressed the Aba- gold Development Trust so much that Ronaldo was selected as the winner of the 2023 Luvo Maranti Arts Scholarship.