Africa-Press – South-Africa. MK Party MP and musician Gezani “Papa Penny” Kobane has called on the department of sport, arts and culture to prioritise villages and townships, accusing the government of sidelining rural communities while billions are spent nationally.
Speaking during a parliamentary portfolio committee meeting on sport, arts and culture this week, Kobane said South Africa’s cultural heartbeat lies in its villages yet the benefits of government funding are rarely felt there.
“South Africa has its roots in the homes which are villages. You report millions, but nothing is happening in the villages,” said Kobane.
With Heritage Month under way, Kobane asked if the department’s investments would reach ordinary people.
“The arts in September, South Africa should be buzzing because of the various cultures. This should be showcased in villages, townships, suburbs and towns. Will that money not be made for us, the people of South Africa?” he asked.
Kobane, a household name in the entertainment industry before entering politics, accused government of using communities “only for votes”.
“You just talk year to year, and when we need votes, we go to the people. When you look at the number of people who vote in high numbers, it does not come from the suburbs, it’s villages. Let’s take our culture and sports to the people,” he said.
He pressed the minister to show tangible support for artists and children in rural areas, lamenting that cultural education is disappearing from schools.
“The schools are no longer teaching culture and traditions. How will our culture come back to our land?” Kobane asked. “Here in the villages we don’t have it. In South Africa billions are being used but in villages we don’t see what they do,” he said.
He warned that young people were leaving villages for cities such as Johannesburg because “things are not happening at their homes”.
Kobane also criticised how the department handles social cohesion, saying it is mostly achieved through national football.
“We talk of social cohesion but we seem to be bringing South Africans together only in soccer, that is Bafana Bafana. Other sporting codes are not able to bring South Africans together,” he said.
Directly addressing sport, arts and culture minister Gayton McKenzie, Kobane urged him to act differently from his predecessors.
“Work hard, people can talk but show us something. Be different from other ministers who were there for 30 years. We are starting to count one year with you not 30 years with you. Show us something new for arts, sports and culture.”
McKenzie responded by agreeing with Kobane’s call for rural focus.
“It’s true what you are saying, there should not be competition between province and national because we must serve the people. I am agreeing with you fully on that matter,” said McKenzie.
“I come from the village now. The last project I did was to open a multimillion-rand facility in the village of Mbhokota, so I understand what you are saying. We should not look at coloured, Xhosa and all that. We must look at [the fact that] we are all South Africans,” said McKenzie
McKenzie said that his department was introducing initiatives to strengthen support for artists. This comes after he was accused of not supporting artists enough.
“For the first time, we are going to have offices for artists that will have lawyers in it,” he said. “For the first time we have sectors that represent every creative sector.
“For the first time, we are going public now for funeral policies and hospital plans for artists. It has never happened in 30 years. The first time it is going to happen,” he said.
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