ENCAC BRINGING MORE JOB OPPORTUNITIES

MBABANE – Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture (ENCAC) will be hiring more people in the recently established art centres.
This was revealed by ENCAC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Stanley Dlamini during an interview with this publication after successfully distributing music equipment in all the regions of the country. Worth mentioning, ENCAC has already employed four arts officers in the regions. These officers manage and run the daily operations of the centres. Having established the art centres, ENCAC has now elevated the local industry, following in the footsteps of countries such as South Africa (SA) and Botswana, which have also established the same venues for creatives.

Professional

In SA, creatives have access to these centres, which help them rehearse and further learn music instruments such as keyboards, drums, and mixers. Such skills help artists to be professional in their line of work and further produce quality work that is informed by a high level of knowledge. According to Dlamini, the establishment of the art centres and distribution of equipment was made possible by government as they had requested funding. Dlamini further mentioned that the equipment has been distributed in all regions of the country. “We recently handed over the equipment in all four regions, where we established art centres. This means we have now distributed the equipment in all regions. These art centres will help artists, as they will get to rehearse in them. This comes after we requested money from the government to build the art centres.

Distributed

Whenever our artists want to host events or shows, they can go to the centres where they will get to rehearse. Upcoming artists are not left behind, the equipment that we recently distributed will help them learn how to operate it. They will get to learn any instrument since we have a variety,” Dlamini said. He further revealed they will be hiring more people in the art centres who will help empower those willing to learn the equipment. “There are people who are well versed when it comes to managing and playing music instruments such as drums and keyboards. We have identified these people in all the regions where we have the art centres, these people will be employed to empower and provide training sessions for upcoming artists. We are going to provide job opportunities for those that have qualifications for playing certain instruments. Those who are willing to learn have to visit our art centres and register because we will be beginning the sessions soon,” he said.

Backline

When asked about the quality of the distributed equipment, he mentioned it is standard backline. “The equipment that has been delivered in the art centres is standard backline. We distributed it according to what people who have registered said they want to learn. We are yet to engage the arts officers in the centres to find out if there is more equipment that is needed. At the moment, we are pleased to know that artists are happy with the equipment that we have provided. The artists are also included in the fact-finding mission on the need for equipment,” Dlamini said. Hhohho Arts Officer Nokwanda Masimula echoed Dlamini’s words in a previous interview where she narrated that the equipment will help the youth discover their talent. “The equipment will help the youth discover their talent as they can get to learn how to use it or rehearse. We did not only deliver the equipment, but we also unveiled a rehearsal room.

Encourage

“I would like to encourage young people to visit our offices so they can get to access this equipment. We also have free Wi-Fi, which they can also access while on the premises,” Masimula said. The Eswatini National Arts and Culture Policy also puts emphasis on the importance of promoting talent in the country. “Swati craft is already in the international market and generally fine quality. The policy will promote the development of creative and improved skills in production. It will give recognition and preservation to fast-vanishing traditional skills and promote the development of innovation and adaptability. The enhancement of production will be facilitated through training, and more markets will be sought through collaboration,” reads part of the policy.

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