Swazi music awards get funding

The event is also seen as one that will mark the beginning of the expansion of the country's music industry, with nominees representing various genres including traditional music, which is central to the Swazi music industry.

The president of the South African Music Industry Council, Eugene Mthethwa, applauded the move. “We are here to share some knowledge about the industry, to encourage the good things that the organisers are doing, because this is an inaugural; it's the first time they are holding these awards,” he said at a launch event last week. “We have been having awards for so many years so it’s good for us to come and show that support and see what they doing and be able to advise where we can.”

SWAMA president Luthfo Dlamini said the awards were intended to embolden musicians to continue making quality music. “This is the first time that MTN has offered an amount of more than R500 000, which by any measure is the biggest in the country – and we hope that by this we will be able to celebrate the talent that Swaziland has unearthed. This is becoming a regional thing, because our artists now are getting out of Swaziland, they are getting well known in the SADC (Southern African Development Community) region and eventually overseas."

Local gospel musician Mduduzi Simelane expressed excitement and said the event would support artists not only in Swaziland but also in neighbouring countries. “This is a big thing, we appreciate the opportunity that we are being given as artists in the kingdom,” he said. “We shall see what the future holds for us now, but this is a lifetime opportunity for all artists.”

Local media also reported that government officials had pledged to support the event.

According to the MTN SWAMAs Facebook page, the awards aim is to pay tribute to artists who have played a pivotal role “in the revolution of the music industry in Swaziland since independence”. The awards ceremony would celebrate Swazi music as an art code outside the margins and periphery of other countries during a gala event with a full line-up of authentic Swaziland performers, it said. The event would also be a vehicle for the promotion of art through music and would seek to unite the arts and corporate sectors in Swaziland.