Indian origin Ismail Mahomed from South Africa has been knighted by the French government. He has been honoured for his lifelong devotion to the promotion of arts. 
•    He was bestowed with Knight of the Order of Arts and Literature by French Ambassador Elisabet Barbier in Johannesburg. 
•    He is working as the Artistic Director of the National Arts Festival in  Grahams town. 
•    He has received 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  Artists William Kentridge and Gerard Sekoto, filmmaker Ramadan Suleman and musician  Johnny Clegg also received various awards