Open letter to MR Nathi Mthethwa – The Mzansi Kwaito House Music Awards note with great disappointment and disapproval, the unfair treatment it has been subjected to by the National Department of Arts and Culture.
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The organisation has for the past 3 years invested efforts in attempting to secure funding for the Annual Mzansi Kwaito and House Music Awards. These tireless efforts have yielded nothing but constant rejection from the DAC. Minister Nathi Mthethwa’s department has continuously demonstrated by all means possible lack of interest towards supporting the awards.
What seem to be of great concern from our end, is the ignorance towards our efforts to promote social cohesion and giving recognition to what has historically manifested a unique South Africa’s cultural genre and discipline.
We have come to the realization that the department favours the South African Music Awards and new USIBA awards over the MKHMA, as they have cited the rejection on the basis that they are already supporting the SAMA’s. However we are of a belief that our focus remains different from that of the SAMA’s and other music oriented awards in South Africa.
This rejection has also come to suggest that women led initiatives are not worthy of the support afforded to those led by men, a stance that we believe seek to discriminate on the basis of gender and sex. We would like to remind Mr Mthethwa that the constitution of this country is explicit on the recognition and protection of all who live in South Africa.
The past 3 years have been a difficult journey that saw the CEO of the award ceremony going beyond the rejection by using her own resources and money as a matter of realizing her passion for amongst others, restoring the dignity of many struggling Kwaito artist and preserving the legacy and cultural value of the Kwaito genre.
There’s an assumption that Kwaito has died from the face of the earth, we would like to categorically state that this assumption is misleading and false.
Since the inception of the awards, we have seen an incredible increase in the number of emerging Kwaito artists beyond this, the awards have attracted growing numbers. This is an indication that Kwaito remains very much alive and part of our South African culture and history. The government of the Republic of South Africa has a commitment to support social cohesion at all costs and not cultural projects of those who have political ties and relationships.
We believe that Mr Mthetwa needs to demonstrate the highest level of leadership and clarify his position on this matter as it has become personal for us. Until such time he decides to give us a concrete explanation as to why are they refusing us an opportunity to fair equally with other awards ceremonies they support, we will continue to make noise as a means of communication our concern regarding this matter.
Kwaito as a genre and those working tirelessly to use it as a medium for social change are aware of the bias they are subjected to and can no longer tolerate a government that seek to divide the movement. We urge Minister Mthethwa to intervene on this matter and explain why his department has for 3 years refused to support the awards.
Issued by MKHMA CEO (Perfecta Khumalo)
Image Courtesy: Supplied