BY DELISA THWALA
MBABANE – The Minister of Sports Culture and Youth Affairs Harries Madze Bulunga has declared Mbabane Arts AND Culture Centre as a Cultural Institution for Performing arts.
“This occasion of declaring Mbabane Arts and Culture Centre as a Cultural Institution for Performing Arts is, therefore, a befitting tribute to the generations that came before us and an investment for the coming generations. It is His Majesty’s Government’s clear demonstration of our resolve to upscale youth programming within the National Development Plan (NDP), thus creating necessary spaces needed by our creatives,” said Bulunga.
He was speaking at the official launch of the Vukubone Sound Lab.
“ We are here to give the baton, through resources and framework, to the local creatives to go on and create works that will bear the hallmarks of histories, adventures, inspirations and above all memorable moments in real life or imaginatively. The success of the Mbabane Arts and Culture Centre shall depend on the workmanship, partnership and collaboration between all of us, the three Arms of Government,” he said.
In addition, he said they were going to commit more resources to the institution and look forward to their creatives earning a living through arts and having the sector continue to contribute meaningfully to the economy.
“I want to express my appreciation to the EU, the ENCAC Board, Antidote and the Mbabane Municipality for the support rendered to the Eswatini arts sector. We are expecting an institutional partnership according to the Revised NDS-strategy White Paper that will be aligned and work with the Community Arts Centres in the regions, collaborate with other towns and across the country and above all ensure that it creates jobs and employment for artists,” he said.
Worth mentioning is that ENCAC is setting up regional committees; a group of people who are aware of the frustrations and aspirations of the creative sector.
Bulunga encouraged the arts office to ensure that the creative sector benefits well from such initiatives as this. “With these remarks, it is now my singular honour to declare the Mbabane Arts and Culture Centre officially opened. Thank you and may God bless us all,” he said.
