Africa-Press – Eswatini. The Association of Christian Artists of Eswatini (ACAESWA) has set out great plans to accomplish this year.
ACAESWA, which had been mum on the Eswatini Gospel Music Awards 2023, has revealed that the awards will be hosted this year with more details to be unveiled soon.
According to a press release by ACAESWA President Mcolisi Vilakati, the association had realised great improvement from 2021-23 whereby artists have been releasing new and original content.
“The association shall be hosting the 2024 Eswatini Gospel Music Awards and an events company that will run and organise this glamorous event has already been engaged and more details shall be unveiled during our launch of the awards event,” he said.
The Eswatini Gospel Music Awards were last held in 2022, at the Mavuso Trade and Exhibition Centre.
That year there were 15 categories of which only five were detemined through public votes, seven by a panel and three were honorary.
Local gospel artist Nothando Dlamini won two awards that year, scooping the Best Female Artist as well as the Song of the Year awards, for her hit song ‘Wangihlawulela’.
Despite that the Eswatini Gospel Music Awards did not take place in 2023, Vilakati, through the statement, said the association had a clear road map that they wished to execute this year.
Vilakati said the association was well aware of the music industry which continues to evolve and has moved away from traditional distribution and selling through digital platforms.
“The NEC remains vigilant of the challenges our members are facing with online distribution agents, where in many instances our works are fixed to strangers who continue to harvest our income fraudulently. This year we shall employ strategies to curb this disturbing occurrence,” he said.
He stated that the association would also intensify the call for 95 per cent local airplay from the different media houses, to ensure that they maximise promotion of their artists, seasoned and upcoming.
“We believe that the country has enough talent that our populace needs need to listen to and enjoy,” added Vilakati.
He further said they had been also following developments of the Eswatini Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Society (ESWACOS) after the unveiling of the Secretariat by Minister of Commerce, Industry and Trade Manqoba Khumalo in September last year.
He said the association would engage with ESWACOS to speed up and start the collection and distribution of royalties.
“We shall also invite them to a workshop where we shall request them to unpack to the members on how they plan to implement the collections and distribution, so that we keep our artists informed of all the requirements that will be attached to this exercise,” said the president.
Furthermore the association hopes to, in the first quarter, continue to set up regional committees in Manzini and Hhohho in a bid to outline constitutional requirements.
“The association will continue to pursue opportunities to organise festivals, regardless of the failure to host the 2023 Gospel Crossover.
“We are looking into hosting the 2024 Uvukile Show, the accapella competitions and many other shows that will appear in our year plan to be shared during the AGM,” said Vilakati.
With this, the president welcomed 2024 as a new year with new hope, further anticipating new beginnings, great lessons and big achievements.
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