adminBongani Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
ARTISTES have come out in support of arts trailblazer Cont Mhlanga for the tongue-lashing he gave Sports, Arts and Culture Minister Andrew Langa on Thursday, saying he was speaking on their behalf.
During a tour of Amakhosi Cultural Centre, an enraged Mhlanga ordered the minister to immediately leave the premises if he did not have time for artistes after the minister’s aide told him that Langa had to leave because of a commitment elsewhere.
Mhlanga went on to say the minister was surrounded by inept advisors who were not advising him properly.
“It’s sick that your so-called principal directors have been in office for more than 10 years and yet they’ve never set their feet at Amakhosi. What advice are they going to give you?” asked Mhlanga.
In separate interviews, artistes said Mhlanga’s sentiments were an indication of the deep-seated dissatisfaction that artistes were feeling after years of neglect by the government.
Playwright Raisedon Baya said they wanted more access to the minister which they felt they were not getting enough of.
He said Mhlanga, as a captain of the arts industry, was speaking on behalf of the whole arts fraternity.
“For me it’s not about what Cont said but the message. He was merely showing and telling the minister how most if not all artistes in the country feel. We should have more access to him (Minister Langa) and it was long overdue that he was in the city,” said Baya.
This was the first time Minister Langa made an official tour of arts centres a year after the formation of his ministry.
Baya said he was equally disappointed that they could not sit down and discuss with the minister during the luncheon.
“I thought that the whole purpose of the luncheon was to discuss with the minister and iron out problems we face. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the opportunity to meet him,” he said.
Actress and modelling instructor Sarah Mpofu said she hoped what transpired sent a message to Minister Langa that all was not well in the arts industry.
“We hope that this sent a message to the honourable minister that we’re suffering as artistes. It was not about the food but we wanted to sit down and speak to him about our concerns,” she said.
Mpofu said she was also excited to meet the minister and urged him to make more time for artistes.
Afro jazz musician Majahawodwa “Jeys Marabini” Ndlovu said there seemed to be more that meets the eye because of the way in which Mhlanga reacted.
He urged fellow artistes to bear with the minister because he was trying to solve problems in the arts sector that had been there for decades.
“We’ve to give Minister Langa time because his ministry was formed last year. He’s trying to solve problems that had been in the system for decades and we should give him time,” said Jeys.
He said an arts and culture indaba would suffice and diffuse tensions between the government and artistes.
Jeys said artistes had different struggles that were unique to their discipline and it boiled down to funding.
Minister Langa was in Bulawayo for a tour of cultural centres including Amakhosi Township Square in Makokoba, Isalukazi Centre in Njube and Enkundleni Centre in Entumbane.
He was accompanied by the permanent secretary in the ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture Thokozile Chitepo, National Arts Council of Zimbabwe director Elvis Mari and other senior officials in the ministry.
Online Reporter