EZULWINI- “A lot of millions have gone out of the country, to the loss of the economy, simply because we lack the capacity to produce locally.”
This was said by Peter Armstrong from Yebo! Art Gallery, after the training of 10 youth students enrolled at the institution.
The students were selected from among the youth of Ezulwini and were sponsored by the Embassy of Switzerland in collaboration with the Municipal Council of Ezulwini through its social responsibility programme.
Speaking at the event, Armstrong noted that reality had shown that most people did not value art, yet it was one of the most powerful tools to unite the world while simultaneously boosting the economy.
He recalled that such a point was once made by King Sobhuza II when they presented him with a sizeze. The product was wrapped in Eswatini traditional attire, but when the King received the gift, he set it aside and paid more attention to the traditional attire.
The King said: “This is what we want as a nation.” King Sobhuza encouraged the production of more such items.
Armstrong said the King emphasised the importance of a country producing its own attire, a point he made in 1981.
However, despite the King’s suggestion, Armstrong expressed disappointment that many traditional items, such as kangas, were still produced overseas such as China and imported to Eswatini, resulting in significant economic losses for the country.
“The country is losing millions, and nothing benefits its economy because these products are not produced locally,” he said.
Regarding the outreach to the youth, Armstrong explained that the institution considered training at least 10 young people from the area in art to address the high youth unemployment rate.
He mentioned that they had engaged with the local municipality and the Swiss Embassy, which had facilitated the identification of the youth, not only within town, but also in peri-urban areas.
He noted that the youth had gained valuable skills and were now capable of designing and printing various items, expressing ideas related to religion, philosophy and other themes through art.
He said for the time being, the youth would be accommodated at the Yebo! Art Gallery, which provides a workspace and equipment, while efforts were underway to find additional working spaces.
Armstrong said the trained youth would also have access to a workspace at Ngwenya Glass, as they sought start-up capital to establish their own businesses and create jobs for emaSwati.
It was observed during the event that artists can generate substantial income from their work. Notably, older artworks tend to appreciate in value; for example, a picture sold for E5 in the 1980s is now valued at E15 000.
The Yebo! Art Gallery initiative was launched at a time when His Majesty King Mswati III had called for businesses, companies and individuals to empower at least 10 people each with income-generating projects to alleviate poverty.
His Majesty made this appeal during the presentation of his birthday gifts at the Mandvulo Grand Hall, after noting and appreciating those who deviated from traditional gift-giving by requesting jobs directly from him.
The King described this as a call for all companies and individuals to consider doing something for the unemployed.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that government has recently pledged to create 30 000 jobs for the youth to address the current unemployment rate of 48 per cent.
In an interview, the students expressed their readiness to start art-related businesses. However, they said their main challenge was the start-up capital. The youth had been trained in clothes design and printing and cup printing, among other artworks.
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