SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION FOR ARTS NEEDED

Sir,

I genuinely believe Eswatini has an evolved society that would thoroughly benefit from an artistic celebration. We all know how it feels to be stumped about what to do on a Friday night besides drinking and sweating your night away, dancing to recycled music that starts to sound the same after an hour or two. But what is holding us back from a clear, defined arts scene in our country? If there is one thing the country doesn’t lack its talent. Talent in this country is in abundance; it’s just unappreciated. 

Platforms

The only things lacking are platforms for this talent to find a place to express itself in full. We have what it takes to compete on a world stage. Our creatives are not given an opportunity to self-actualise and create a distinctly Eswatini art form as yet.

People underestimate the power of a unified conscious pursuing the same goal. I believe this is what makes art collectives so necessary in taking the arts scene forward in the country. We have seen their success in South Africa. There is power in numbers; so where are all the creatives in the country? Get together with anyone who thinks alike and create some great things. Producers, photographers, singers, stylists, etc can coalesce to form a strong frontline in furthering the arts in Eswatini. 

Galleries

In order to have a thriving arts scene of art galleries, theatre and movie screenings, there has to be capital. There have been some great organisations that have supported the arts in the country, Alliance Francaise, The US Embassy and the EU. 

All these have been pivotal in providing funding for performances, art programmes, etc that have helped unearth and utilise the artistic talent in the country. But at this point, we need a sustainable solution for the arts, where it’s merely not a once-off event, but a continuous economically viable structure. Government and any other stakeholders can step in and support the industry more. 

Also, please can we pay our artists. We tend to overlook creative vocations as they do not present themselves as ‘real jobs’. Guess what, they are real jobs and they also require certain skills and time to master. Artists, from performers to painters, please take your art seriously. It is very difficult to defend artists if the standard of work is subpar. Improve on the standard you present and continually re-invent yourselves to insure longevity in the industry. 

For any creative scene to be sustainable, there needs to be consumers. We, like most countries, suffer from the illness of always preferring artists from beyond our borders.

Support 

We as emaSwati consumers need to support our artists; purchase that liSwati artist’s painting or buy their CDs. This is the only way; build the demand for great arts and it will surely come. I’ll be honest, I myself need to unlearn the copious amounts invalidation I’ve thrown towards local arts, this is the goal to be more vested in the talent we have here. We can architect our way to an unmistakable Eswatini arts identity. 

Z N

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