Sustainability plans for SA artists are key: Slikour

South African musical genius, Siyabonga ‘Slikour’ Metane, has described the pledge by the Arts and Culture Minister to advance hip-hop culture as a step in the right direction, saying sustainability plans for artists are key.

Minister Gayton McKenzie recently announced that his department will fund at least 12 hip-hop concerts a year.

He says R1 million will be set aside each month to aid hip-hop artists.

Slikour says the most important thing that needs to be done for artists is developing plans that tap into financial and music literacy, which often leads to the fall of many entertainers and talent.

“We need to start investing in those long-term programmes and technology that will assist in that. You can’t keep throwing money into a wall because you love the wall. You have to throw it into fertile ground that will grow,” he adds.

Minister McKenzie has set strict conditions on the money.

He says there must be clear direction and indication of where the money is being spent, including creating jobs.

“We will not fund exploitation.”

The Minister believes that the hip-hop genre and its space are being overtaken by other genres.

“We can’t just have one concert like Back to the City. We need like 12 per year.”

He recently spoke about bringing back the likes of Oppi Kopi and great collaboration between artists and the government.

Slikour says it’s important that the minister looks at every genre, adding that it’s all culture at the end of the day.

Meanwhile, female hip-hop artist, Gigi Lamayne, has praised the minister’s announcement.

She says it won’t only ensure job creation for artists but also for those who work in other areas within the entertainment space.

The musician says getting backing from the Minister is a huge deal and a moment of history for them as hip-hop artists.

Lamayne believes that hip hop has stood the test of time through so many different changes, including the likes of Gqom and Amapiano.

“We’ve always been known as a culture that fights and goes against all odds to make things happen by creating our own platforms. This will allow artists to create more content and opportunities to be able to showcase ourselves to the rest of the world.”

“This is a great opportunity for us to do exchanges with other people from other countries. I think this is a good time for us to be able to showcase digitally since the world has moved in that direction, where people can use the platform as a resume or a bio.”

Lamayne also stressed the importance of affording South African artists the support they need for them not only to thrive but to make a living.

“We still live in a society where it’s difficult for us to acquire houses because of our not so fixed salaries and wages and remuneration.

“We still struggle with things like medical aid, and retirement because we are really not deemed to be somewhat of a serious occupation for any institution to take us seriously.”

She adds that wellness, mentorship, health and substance abuse programmes are just some of the things needed to assist artists who often find themselves struggling.

“If government could become our custodians, not just on a professional level but on a social, emotional and educational, financial level, that would be great.”