Humble Greetings to you all

Thank you very much for joining us today as we officially announce the launch of the inaugural KwaZulu-Natal Cultural and Heritage Experience.

This flagship event in the calendar of KwaZulu-Natal is scheduled to take place over three days from 04 March 2022 till 06 March 2022 at the Ugu Sport and Leisure Centre here at the Ray Nkonyeni Local Municipality.

We call on all people of KwaZulu-Natal, our country, the continent of Africa, and indeed the world to lend a hand in making sure that this festival and unique KZN experience become a phenomenal success not only this weekend, but for many more years to come.

In this regard, we wish to pay tribute to media houses, editors, journalists, and reporters for the enthusiasm they have shown in the festival. We look up to you all as our ally in spreading the word and informing the nation that KwaZulu-Natal finally has its signature event in the cultural and creative industries.

The time for the launch is opportune.

We all know that the cultural and creative industry remains one of the hardest hit sectors in the economy since the advent of COVID-19 two years ago.

Behind the statistics of economic decline and deaths, are the faces of our heroes and heroines in the arts who lost income and those who succumbed to death.

Among them, we lost to the pandemic a cultural icon and activist in the name of Ingulube Encane, ubaba u Bhodloza Nzimande who is synonymous with the success and growth of maskandi music.

We are emerging from a painful time when we lost ubaba uMshengu Shabalala who put our province and country on the world map through Isicathamiya music.

It was a time when KwaZulu-Natal lost the custodian of Zulu culture and traditions, His Majesty ISilo Goodwill ka Bhekuzulu. We will always remember how ISilo proudly showcased the living heritage and culture of amaZulu with amabutho as he toured the globe and interacted with world leaders.

It was a time we had to bid farewell to our beloved Regent Queen Mantfombi Zulu who is credited for having worked closely with uBhejane uPhuma Esiqiwini to revive the ancient old tradition of umhlanga which in turn helped our province foster sound morals, prevent teenage pregnancy and deadly STIs like HIV.

Ladies and Gentlemen, we can never quantify the true value of culture and the arts. There is no amount of money that is equivalent to the arts and our culture. Suffice to say that such intangible heritage goes to the core of our identity as a people and as a nation.

No place in our country compares with the rich diversity of our country than the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

We are not just the Kingdom of the Zulus who are renowned the world over for their history and famous Kings like iLembe Eleqa Amanye AmaLembe ngokukhalipa, u Shaka KaSenzangakhona. We are also home to AbeSuthu, AmaHlubi, AmaBhaca, abaThwa or the Khoi and the San.

It was on our shores that people of Indian descent were brought here in 1860 by the British as indentured labourers. They brought with them a number of traditions and belief systems that have become an integral part of our province.

We are a province that continues to experiment and innovate in genres that resonate with our youth – be it House Music, Gqom, and now amapiyano.

In conceptualising the KZN Cultural and Heritage Experience Festival, we had no doubt that we are best placed to offer an exceptional, imitable experience that will live forever with audiences.

We hope that this event will go far in revitalising the creative and cultural industry and contribute in sustaining the creative workers of our province and country after the difficulties they faced with the pandemic.

While resources are constrained for our government, we dare not neglect the sector. As we indicated in the State of the Province Address last week, our government ahs sought to cushion the industry through the “Keeping Arts Alive” programme which was spearheaded by the provincial Department of Arts and Culture. This was in addition to other support measures introduced by the national department of Sports, Arts, and Culture.

In KwaZulu-Natal, the sector is not an after-thought. We see it as being integral in growing the Mzansi Golden Economy and contributing to sustainable development and job creation.

All over the world, the cultural and creative industries play a significant role in economic development and employment generation.

A recent study argues that: “Before the pandemic, the creative economy was growing rapidly and generating new jobs in every region of the world, predicted to account up to 10 per cent of global GDP by 2030. The crisis has brought this exceptional growth to a standstill, exposing the fragility of a sector dominated by micro-businesses, informal work practices and few tangible assets.”

The research further adds that “Lockdowns have also highlighted the importance of cultural and creative activity in maintaining individual well-being and community resilience.” The global success of the song Jerusalema by Master KG and KwaZulu-Natals own Nomcebo Zikode comes to mind where the power of the arts was able to unite the world and helped it heal in a time of trauma and uncertainty.

In South Africa, a 2018 study commissioned by the Department of Arts and Culture showed that the Culture and Creative Industry contribute at least 1.5 % to SA’s GDP, estimated to be R63 billion. All studies indicate that South Africa is still far from realising the true value of the industry despite the pockets of excellence that we see.

Audience research tells us that visitors to South Africa and KwaZulu-Natal can never get enough of experiencing our living heritage and culture. This festival will help satisfy this need while at the same time providing a platform for our artists to showcase their ingenuity and talent.

The United Nations, through UNESCO, recognises the central role of culture and the arts to sustainable development. You will recall that the 74th session of the UN General Assembly took the resolution to dedicate 2021 as the International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development.

The African Union also declared 2021 the “AU Year of the Arts, Culture And Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want”. Like the UN, the AU recognises the cultural and creative industries as fundamental in attaining Agenda 2063’s ideals of regional integration, sustainable economic growth and development.

We themed the recent State of the Province Address: ““Turning the corner in KwaZulu-Natal: Building on our Resilience, Forging Lasting Peace, Creating Job Opportunities and Ushering In Sustainable Growth.”

We wish to assure all KwaZulu-Natal’s creatives that we want to be with them as we turn the corner.

The ANC-led government in KwaZulu-Natal appreciates that there is no economic renaissance or vision of KwaZulu-Natal Rising that we can achieve if we neglect the creative industry. History teaches us that the seeds of any economic revolution are to be found in a cultural revolution, hence we ignore the value of culture and the arts at our own peril or disadvantage.

We pay tribute to all cultural and creative workers not only for their resilience but for never failing to inspire us. It is them who help us re-imagine and to redream our world, providing us endless possibilities of conquering our obstacles – even if it is only in song, in poetry, in performance, in dance, film, fashion, and crafts.

We see the investment that the Department of Arts and Culture has put in this initiative as key in planting the seeds for our growth using the arts and the heritage sector.

We have a vision that this event will grow to become a major booster for cultural tourism and the revival of the tourism sector in KwaZulu-Natal. Tourism is one of our key pillars in the KwaZulu-Natal Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan.

We call on all our stakeholders in the tourism sector, including tour operators and tour guides to promote the event.

The investments that KwaZulu-Natal is making in road infrastructure and building regional airports like Mkhuze Airport and the nearby Margate Airport will help support such events. We are pleased that during the festive season, the number of people who flew in and out of Margate airport more than doubled compared to the previous year. We will continue to invest in building tourism infrastructure and supporting hospitality establishments to stay in business.

We call on all our stakeholders and people of KwaZulu-Natal to support domestic tourism and do a “short left” to support the tourism industry and our various cultural offerings including this festival.

The private sector has an important role to grow the sector and supporting the festival. We invite them to find ways through which they can sponsor the event to make it grow and realise its full potential in economic development, income generation, social cohesion, and above all, to showcase the beauty of our province and its rich culture.

Those who will attend, please support our mothers, fathers, and youth who will be selling their artefacts. You will have an opportunity to taste the various cuisines that are cooked in our province. Don’t miss the chance to meet some of our well known artists and upcoming musicians.

NgesiZulu sithi akwendulwa ngendlu yakhiwa. Siyakumema, woza uphonse itshe esivaneni. Yiza ubone ubuciko bakwaZulu-Natal, ucule, usine, uthokomale nomndeni nabangane bakho.

Masisukume Sakhe i-KwaZulu-Natal futhi sizenyezi ngobuthina.

Together Growing KwaZulu-Natal!