BY LINDEKILE MNTJALI
MBABANE– The winners of the Inyatsi Schools Art and Culture Competition’s national final taking place on June 26 -27, 2024, will receive E10 000 for each art code’s first position.
The Inyatsi Schools Art and Culture Competition, which was held across all four regions of the country last week, will reward the top teams at the national competition. This was confirmed by Organising Secretary of the Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture, Moses Sithole.
The first position winners of each category, both primary and high schools: Sibhaca, drum majorettes, drama and theatre, and Ummiso, will receive E10 000 in prize money, honouring their outstanding performances in their respective fields. It is worth mention that Imisebe Publishing and Printing have also indicated that they will also add to the prize money as the competition gets closer.
Eswatini Schools Arts and Culture Association President Ronnie Gamedze stated that the pupils will receive both trophies and cash prizes. “Our proposal is to award E10 000 to the first-place winners, E7 000 to second place, and E5 000 to third place, but we are still in discussion with our sponsors to confirm the exact amounts. We hope to provide the students with a substantial reward for their hard work and dedication to the arts,” said Gamedze.
The competition was to showcase the rich heritage and talents that pupils have by doing traditional dances and arts and competing for the number one spot. The venue of the competition is yet to be confirmed.
According Sithole, the organising secretary of the Eswatini Schools Arts and Culture Association, both primary and high schools that secure the first, second, and third positions in each category will receive prizes. “We want to clarify that for the Drum Majorettes competition, we will assess the top three categories, including military, Kwaito, and show prop award prizes, based on the overall averages of the students’ performances,” Sithole explained.
The drama and theatre competition will be held separately on June 26, allowing sufficient time to showcase these art forms. The Drum Majorettes, Sibhaca, and Ummiso competitions will take place on June 27. This schedule allows for focused attention and fair judging of the different categories.
