Female artistes fight for recognition

Arts Reporter

Female artistes in Southern Africa have urged governments in the region to establish quotas for women in the sector, provide safe working spaces and support their works to encourage productivity and boost creativity in the post Covid-19 era.

Speaking during a UNESCO ResiliArt debate organised by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ), Zimbabwe Music Crossroads director Melody Zambuko said governments should establish quota systems for women when providing assistance or opportunities for artistes as is the case in politics where a gender quota system allows for 30 percent men to take up leadership positions.

“The unequal access to opportunities is quite clear. The working space needs to be levelled as women are the multi-taskers of our society. You will remember that long before Covid-19 women were marginalised in the workspace. Regardless of occupying the same position at work, the female officer earned less than their male counterparts,” she said.

Bulawayo-based artiste and businesswoman Patience Phiri said the Covid-19 pandemic had widened the gap between male and female artistes.

“What we need as women is for the Government to invest in us. We want to say to the Government please love us, please pay us, please give us safe platforms, and can we please be treated equally to your boy children that you love so dearly. If you invest in us, we will make you so proud,” Phiri said.

Ernestine Deane, founder of the Trade union for Musicians of South Africa (TUMSA), said many female artistes had found themselves in a prolonged situation of unemployment as the arts, culture and tourism sectors were the first to be affected by Covid-19 lockdown measures.

“We call upon the governments to issue, as a matter of urgency, any available relief funds.

The Government needs to quickly identify the different needs of the various communities that make up the creative sector and support each community with its desired needs. There is no one-size-fits-all, especially for women who have been severely affected by Covid-19,” Deane said.

Tapiwa Langa, who is based in Mozambique, said female artistes in the region felt left out of government programmes, but were afraid to speak out.

“I think the women here are courageous to speak out because most of them they just see themselves being left out and they keep quiet.

“So, I would like to congratulate you for this platform and say as women in the arts industry in Mozambique we are in this struggle together,” said Langa.

ResiliArt is a global movement initiated by UNESCO that aims to strengthen the resilience of artistes and cultural professionals in the face of the enormous challenges posed by the current health crisis.

To date, the NACZ has organised four ResiliArt debates on the Zoom platform that have provided a platform for over 200 local and regional creatives to discuss issues about Covid-19.