MBABANE – Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture CEO Stanley Dlamini has emphasised that young pupils who partake in culture groups or any sporting code in schools should monetise their appearances.
Dlamini was speaking at the third edition launch of the Inyatsi Schools Arts and Culture Competitions last Friday at the Inyatsi House. The point came from him stating that pupils will also be motivated to give their best on the stage if they receive money as well. “I believe that the pupils also sacrifice their own time preparing for performances, either for school competitions or otherwise. Nurturing the children’s talents is essential as we are also securing a future for them. Some people make a living from their talents, so why can’t we do the same to them?” he stated.
The CEO then further unpacked this by stating that the different regional art centres want to register them as commercial groups. “ A few days back, I received a call from someone asking for a certain group of children to perform at their traditional ceremony celebration. The thought of the children just travelling merely for appearance does not sit well with me, the need for them to start charging for their performances and making their talents pay them. Our culture has an opportunity to attract money and monetise the learners’ talents,” he said.
Dlamini also thanked Inyatsi Foundation for its endless support in all they do. “The Inyatsi Foundation is indeed playing a huge role than you may think by keeping such programmes alive. I remember when I was still in school, the only sporting code that was taken seriously was soccer. We would ride buses only for soccer games and nothing more. With that said, I want to thank the foundation for the evolution in investing in arts and culture,” he said.
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