Times Of Swaziland: ANTICIPATION OVER NEXT BUDGET ALLOCATION

ANTICIPATION OVER NEXT BUDGET ALLOCATION
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Nombuso Dlamini on 13/02/2024 15:53:00


MBABANE - As the time draws closer to the announcement of this year’s budget
for all government sectors, artists are already anxious.
Those in the arts sector want to know if their budget will increase, just like
in the previous year. In what had come as no surprise to some artists, the arts
and culture sector’s budget had increased by only E198 580 in 2022. This was
as per Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg’s budget speech, which he announced
for the 2022–23 financial year. In the previous financial year (2021/22), the
arts sector budget stood at E4 291 165. Then, the budget allocation increased to
E4 489 745. When the budget speech for the 2019/2020 financial year was
delivered, the allocation for arts and culture dropped from E4.2 million to E3.3
million. Independent calculations by the Entertainment Desk reflected that this
drop was 21.4 per cent.
Operates
The sector is represented by the Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture
(ENCAC). The council operates under the guidance of the Ministry of Sports,
Culture and Youth Affairs.
The ENCAC has affiliates that directly benefit from the tranches of money given
to the council by government. These are the Eswatini Arts and Music Association
(SWAMA), the Eswatini National Choral Music Association (ENCMA), and the
Association of Christian Artists in Eswatini (ACAESWA), among others. ENCAC’s
CEO, Stanley Dlamini, is the one to welcome the budget each year and ensure that
the money is used as effectively as possible. When asked what the council would
do differently this year after the budget, he mentioned that there would be
consultations between ENCAC and affiliated bodies, where there would be
discussions on how they could best utilise the little that they had.
He went on to say that in the past two years, the approach taken by the council
was for artists to operate in the digital era (social media) instead of using
traditional approaches. He said this helped artists gain exposure and reach
international audiences, ultimately positively contributing to the sector.
However, in previous years, the increment had been likened to a drop in the
ocean by most industry players who directly and indirectly benefit from the
sector. The increased budgets in previous years got mixed views from artists and
entrepreneurs in the entertainment space. When it was reported then, influential
players in the space were asked what they thought of the increment and if they
thought there would be a change. One industry player who chose to be anonymous
registered his dismay with the budget allocation.
Priority
He thought the arts industry would be a priority for government, given that this
was the hardest-hit sector ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
“Personally, I think that we should be a priority to government, given the
fact that we were the most affected in the economic chain of the country. We
were the first ones to be shut down and the last ones to reopen when it came to
restrictions. I wish government put more effort into the budget, as we are the
most affected,” he said.  When asked if he thought there would be a change or
even an increase in the budget, he further said it would be a surprise if
something changed, but he remained positive that the industry would be far
better if the government considered their plight by finding a lasting solution.
“I think what could actually help us is the government’s assistance in the
recovery. This could be opening up the industry by increasing the number of
people allowed at events,” he had said.
The sentiments shared by the artists were similar to those from SWAMA President
Lutfo Dlamini, who has mentioned in numerous interviews that the entertainment
industry needs to be looked into far more than it has. In an interview about
artists’ cry over being aided by the arts body, Dlamini said the Eswatini
Government did not see the potential that this industry had and just how much
revenue it could generate for the economy.