Times Of Swaziland: SOME LOCAL CREATIVES SHOW INTEREST IN ELECTIONS

SOME LOCAL CREATIVES SHOW INTEREST IN ELECTIONS
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Mxolisi Dlamini on 12/06/2023 08:07:00


MBABANE – The Entertainment Desk has noted that there are creatives who are
interested in joining the 2023 Nation Elections.
An investigation that was carried out by the Entertainment Department revealed
that there are actually more creatives who are willing to take advantage of
their popularity to compete in the upcoming elections. Some of these creatives
willingly declared that they were interested in competing in the elections,
while others hid their interest. The creatives who are willing to represent
their communities shared that they were driven by the goal of becoming a voice
for the local industry, as currently the arts sector lacks a strong and creative
voice that can fight for the sustainability of the industry. A veteran in the
local industry, Lutfo Dlamini, who is the current Swaziland Arts and Music
Association (SWAMA) President, is also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Ndzingeni
Constituency. Dlamini shared with this publication that the elections are open
to all creatives, and they should take advantage so that they can represent the
interests of the industry.
Elections
“All artists should go and register for the elections so that they stand a
chance to vote for a person of their choice to represent them in office and
shape the political landscape. Secondly, if some of these artists are nominated,
I would advise that they follow the steps of other artists who were once elected
to office. We have seen people like Macford Sibandze represent the industry well
in Parliament, as well as key ministers. My hands are open for those artists who
would need advice should they be nominated for office. We are veterans of the
industry, and we know most of the issues that they might encounter while in
office, and we are willing to help,” Dlamini said.
He went on to say that, currently, the local industry was lacking a strong voice
that will represent artists in Parliament. “If you become a parliamentarian,
you are not confined to just one constituency, but you will now be doing
national work. The national work includes reshaping artist policies; if people
do notice, they will remember that we used to fight for artists in Parliament,
but it was only a few of us. So I think if we were to grow in numbers in
Parliament, we would be able to fight successfully for artists in the country.
Politics is about lobbying, which is a process where we look at how many people
are fighting for a common cause.”
Dlamini went on to say that artists should join the elections, and once they are
in Parliament, they will be able to fight and possibly come out victorious. The
arts industry still needs serious recognition by those in authority; people in
power need to realise that this is an industry that has shaped a lot of
countries. “This is evident in overseas countries, where governments pump in a
lot of money to this industry, so we are praying that if more artists join in
the elections, there will be more voices that will say pump in more money to the
industry.
Vision
In addition, let’s have people with a vision running the industry, because
currently we have some of those people who do not have a vision for the local
industry. This makes it difficult for our artists to strive under such
conditions. Our industry continues to lack a voice because there are very few of
us trying to advocate for it,” Dlamini added. Mzwakhe Khumalo, popularly known
as Tjovitjo, is currently competing to be the Ward Councillor for the Malkerns
Town Board. He is a well-known MC, who echoed MP Dlamini’s words that the
industry still lacks representation. He added that if he wins as a ward
councillor, he will further compete for the mayor’s position. “We have a lot
of talent in this country, but most people do not get the opportunity, and some
are not prepared because we do not have art schools that can help develop the
skills. Having talent is one thing, but developing it is another, and so to have
a proper development plan, we need to have the facilities to enhance it and we
need to create a proper environment for such growth.” Khumalo went on to say
that to create an environment, they need to create proper legislation. “We
need to have people strategically positioned to be the voice of the art in
strategic levels, be it at policy formulation, decision-making level, execution
level, or at the courts where the law that goes with creatives is interpreted or
is being drafted.
Terms
“We need people who have a background in the art industry, like Qibho, who is
an attorney, so we need relevant people, as they know what the industry needs.
They have also been used, and they grew from that experience; hence, they need
to be there and be the voice for the voiceless artists,” Tjovitjo said. “We
also need a voice as a creative industry in terms of policy and legislation
around the industry to make sure that we bridge the gaps that are there
regarding regulation in entertainment in the kingdom of knowledge and appreciate
the work done by those who were in the positions before, but I think it is also
time to give a chance to other people to give it a try if it were as automatic
as that.” Khumalo went on to say that there are projects that he is busy with
at the moment.
He also shared with this publication that he is into local government: “I’m
vying for elections in my ward in Malkerns, and I’m going for a Ward
Councillor in Malkerns Town Board. If  all goes well in the chambers, in case
they want me to be their mayor, I would also take that willingly because even at
the local government level, we need theatres in almost all the towns in the
country, and we also need accessibility to entertainment houses, and we need to
avail ourselves an opportunity for all those in the industry to be able to get
the platform,” added Tjovitjo. As a veteran in the industry, he shared that,
with the experience vested in him, he would be interested in vying for the
elections. “I’m a willing horse because I’ve been in the industry for some
time. I’ve been in the industry for over a decade, and there are things that I
can attest to, and some were lessons for me that I would not want people
creating a career to experience.
Frustration
“We need to lay a proper foundation for them to go through and have their art
taken to the world out there with less frustration than we have had. I used to
be an MC, where I was paid with food and they would sometimes not give me money
for transport, but we have grown through those experiences, and we would like to
work together with those who are entering the industry so that they cannot
experience this.” He advised that the public should come together and spread
positive vibes around the industry rather than work more on collaborations at
all levels. “We need to have our voice in Parliament; we need to have our
voice in the local municipality; we need to have our voice at all the different
levels where people are organised, be it at central or local government; we need
to have the voice of the artists. It should not only be about performing where
we can get paid peanuts, and no one knows the relevant remuneration for an
artist after having performed on the stage open in Parliament,” Tjovitjo said.
Scara Maziya, a Gospel musician who has shared the stage with the likes of
Nduduzo Matse, Takie Ndou, Sphiwo Ndoni, Phetsile Masilela, and Nothando
Dlamini, shared with this publication that people should not seek to be elected,
but the responsibility to elect an individual lies with the community. “An
election is not something that you should search for as a person. Once you seek
it, you will fail, as you might find yourself chasing your interests instead of
doing the job that the community has sent you to do. My community at LamGabhi
Bhunya is willing to send me to represent them in the upcoming elections. They
want to nominate me as their potential headman (indvuna).
Competition
I grew up in this community, and I have done a lot of things in this community.
If I can recall, I once did a Zion competition three times, and this year it
will continue as an annual event. I have also been doing my festivals in the
community; I have never hosted in other towns but only in this community. When I
started doing an event at LaMgabhi, I said that we were building our own,”
Maziya said. He added that a community will always send someone they see fit to
carry out the duties of being their voice. “If a community sends an individual
to represent them in Parliament, they are aware of the amount of work that is
vested in you. They won’t send you if they see that the work will be a heavy
burden for you. This is more like a mother sending her daughter to fetch water
in the stream. The mother will know if 10 litters or 20 litres will be suitable
for the daughter; she can’t expect the daughter to fetch water amounting to 50
litres when she knows her maximum strength.
The struggle that I had while trying to get into the industry made me realise
that if I get an opportunity to open doors for others, It will be because of the
difficulty that exists when trying to get into the industry. “I never wanted
to be the only Zion member who has recorded a project in this community; hence,
I also helped others to record,” Maziya added.