“In many African countries, the majority of creation, production and distribution centres are closed, and artists are idle, without prospects, many of them living between despair and dismay. In such context, it becomes urgent and a priority to offer assistance and support mechanisms for artists so that creativity and artistic productivity do not stop, but also allow them to effectively resist the pandemic and preserve the socio-economic structure of the already fragile African creative sector.” – statement by The African Culture Fund
The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown creative industries around the world into disarray, and Eswatini is no exception. The Yebo! Eswatini Art Fund (YEAF) was established at the start of 2021 as a platform to recognize the incredible talent of local artists and to provide micro-grants to assist in continuing their important work. We have started small, but our aim is for the Fund to grow each year to reach more artists, nurture creative freedom of expression and stimulate the creative economy of Eswatini.
The first edition of the Fund was sponsored by the Sahee Foundation (www.sahee.org), who have long been involved in grassroots sustainable development work in Eswatini. A total of 15 creatives/artists were awarded grants of E3,000 each (for a total of E45,000 for artist grants) in recognition of their impacted livelihoods, sustained creative output and dedication to the arts in Eswatini.
An independent jury of five local artists was formed to create an efficient, transparent, diverse, and democratic process of selecting the Fund recipients. The final winners were selected by the jury members based on merit, diversity, and impact. Fund winners represent a wide variety of disciplines such as music, dance, fashion, fine art, film, and theatre, and we are excited to see the number of female artists leading the way (9 of the 15 winners were women). All the winners are showcased on the YEAF web page (www.yeboartgallery.com/impact/art-fund) with their profiles and artwork and will also be publicised on all social media channels.
The full list of winners is as follows:
Sibusiso Tutu Mkhabela(Visual Artist)
Bhekani Dlamini (Sculptor/Handcraft Artisan)
Floewe (Singer)
Sakhile Simelane (Creative Director/Model)
Thobile Magagula (Singer/Musician)
Parcel SWZ (Producer)
Qibho Intalektual (Poet/Hip Hop)
Sakhile Gumbi (Visual/Theater)
Bongiwe Dlamini (Poet/Music)
Welile Masuku-Nxumalo (Film Producer)
Dzelisile Mdluli (Poet)
Mozaik (Music Producer)
Kholè Tshabalala (Singer)
Blacknote (Poet)
Nana Magagula (Singer/Musician)
Jury members were Sizo Hlophe (Antidote Music), Aleta Armstrong (Yebo! Art Gallery), Khulekani Msweli (Jerempaul), Single-Lilly Ndwandwe (Writer) and Mbongeni Dlamini