MBABANE – The Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture (ENCAC) together with the Pigg’s Peak Town Council have teamed up for a culture competition.
ENCAC CEO, Stanley Dlamini said the upcoming culture competitions from Pigg’s Peak align with the council’s mandate. “Our mandate to promote and preserve culture as written in the Eswatini National Arts and Culture Policy. The competitions will ensure that our culture is celebrated and promoted in Pigg’s Peak and we are positive that everything will go well,” said the CEO. Dlamini added that the council has been supporting such competitions from the region and they recently had a similar one at the Lubombo Region. “Ours would be to encourage the Pigg’s Peak community members to come in numbers and support the upcoming competitions,” ended Dlamini.
The launch of the competitions took place last Thursday in Pigg’s Peak.
The launch come after the council leaders attended the National Arts and Culture regional awards where the CEO of Pigg’s Peak Town Council had stated that these was tremendous talent in the region and they would be hosting a similar event soon, which has led to fruition. The competition is an ambitious initiative aimed at discovering local creative talent and turning artistic passion into sustainable economic opportunities.
Pigg’s Peak Town Council CEO, Roison Pave said they had aimed at spotlighting the town’s hidden cultural wealth. Speaking on behalf of the local council, Pave highlighted the wealth of creativity distributed across the town’s six wards, noting that local performers, artists and cultural groups deserve a dedicated platform to develop their skills. “On behalf of the Pigg’s Peak Town Council, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to this media briefing as we officially introduce the Pigg’s Peak Inter-Ward Arts and Culture Festival 2026,” stated the Ceo.
The festival is designed to transcend mere competitive performance. Council officials emphasised that the initiative focuses primarily on bringing local communities together, preserving cultural heritage and establishing viable career pathways within Eswatini’s growing creative sector. “For this reason, the festival is about much more than competition. It is about bringing our communities together, preserving and celebrating our culture, developing local talent and creating opportunities through the creative industry. We want our artists to begin seeing their talents not only as a passion, but also as skills that can create income, employment and business opportunities,” added the Ceo. Participants from all six wards will compete in diverse categories, including traditional performance genres such as Lutsango, Ingadla and Sibhaca, alongside siSwati poetry, siSwati storytelling, visual arts and contemporary dance. The primary showcase takes place on October 17, 2026, at Gobolondlo Hall. Crucially, municipality leaders affirmed that support for participants will extend beyond the main competition date.
