Whose Arts Industry it is Anyway?
- Lehlohonolo Peega
- Jun 5, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Jun 12, 2020
The lockdown has devastating effects on the economy, leading to the demise of people's livelihoods.
This was particularly obvious for the industry that is the 1st on the guillotine when we need budget cuts, save money, restructure the budget, etc. Anyway what did we expect? this is to be expected, what are artists after all?
In his poor and consistent manner of lack of ideas, Minister Mthethwa announced a rather pathetic plan to give artists money to endure during this period. I would have expected a thinking department to think how to use the R150million to enable the transition to online platform (and open the space for more artists to be able to make a living online) and ponder about the sustenance of the industry. But not our department, the department resorted to a lazy model of funding.
Arthur Mafokate is a beneficiary of the Covid-19 relief fund.
To remember one post I saw, it affirms "What has minister Mthethwa ever done for the industry? ... hire a radio personality as a spokesperson" . Let that soak in a bit.
As if the realities of this post and constant "pay artists the delayed money from the Covid-19 Relief Fund" posts from artists on social media were not enough. The people that had the luxury of receiving the relief fund are in themselves not going to assist the industry in these strange times and a worthy argument on the scale of need can be made, on how these artists got this funding in the 1st place compared to "grass roots" practitioners.
This proves that no consideration and thorough thinking was applied but anyway this is nothing new with outcries every year to have artists lead the department of arts and culture but with no success or even facade of care.
One is left only with these words, "with impending collapse of the arts industry from the lockdown, Minister Nathi Mthethwa announced the Covid-19 Relief Fund, excited we were, only to find out, truly whose arts industry it is anyway".
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