The Sunday News
Thembinkosi Khumalo, Sunday Life Reporter
FOR the greater part of the year whose curtain came down on Friday, the arts sector experienced a subdued spell in terms of income as live performances that have remained the only cash cow were banned due to Covid-19 inspired lockdowns.
There has not been much activity in the entertainment industry since the pandemic started and the drive to produce more music has been drained by the fact that the artistes are no longer getting more income like they used to before the pandemic.
One of the woes that those in the entertainment industry face is funds to broadcast their shows online.
The truth is that instead of them getting something from the online performances, they are spending something that they do not even have just to remind their followers that they are still in the game.
In most cases, no one pays to watch online shows as compared to the physical live performances that used to be there before the pandemic.
It is becoming better each day when it comes to physical live performances but still, strict Covid-19 measures are at play thus; a number of artistes are still affected by the new irksome normal.
The pandemic has been a thorn in the flesh for the entertainment industry because the industry is based on people gathering together, events being organised and traveling being a necessity in as far as enlarging the fan base is concerned.
It is very evident that the pandemic has robbed the entertainment industry of all those income generating schemes from artists and the industry’s value chain.
In an interview, Nkululeko Innocent Dube the Arts Director of Inkululeko Yabatsha School of Arts (Iyasa) said, “It has been very complicated for the entertainment industry to survive under Covid-19 circumstances where gathering numbers are limited, where travel is not allowed.
It has been drastic; it has been terrible because a lot of people lost their jobs during this period.
It is a chain, it is not restricted to only those that go on stage because there are also producers, the technical department they all have been affected and it has been a struggle to survive.”
He went on to say, “With no choice left for us, we have tried to adapt to the new normal.
Iyasa is known for performing in numbers ranging from 20 to 30 on stage but recently, because of the regulations we have cut the numbers to about 10 people performing on stage.
This simply means that, we have about 20 people who have been deprived of the space to showcase their talent or losing their jobs.”
Besides Covid-19 being a stumbling block to a number of artistes, another pandemic that has always been there is that the entertainment circle is still recognised as a sector and not as an industry.
This has seen artistes coming forward to suggest that only if the entertainment sector would transcend into being a recognisable industry their work might be better for them.
Raisedon Baya, an award-winning playwright and director at Amakhosi Theatre, said, “The new normal has widened the fan base at some point.
It saw the emergence of new ideas where artistes are going to be flexible to produce physical and digital content.
On the other hand, the industry that had one leg before had the remaining leg removed under Covid-19.
“We are called an industry on paper but we are not practically because we have no systems that govern us.
Anyone can just wake up and say they are artists.
There are no boards that take a close look into such matters.
Also, in terms of how we are getting funding, it is not systematic it depends on who you know unlike other countries where during Covid-19, the industry was funded to make sure that it stays alive.”
While other artistes are jack of all trades, the fact is, some of them were struggling to put foods on the table from their craft.
Famous dancer and musician Sandra Ndebele said: “The pandemic changed everything.
The entertainment industry was the hardest hit because our income is primarily based on crowds attending events.
We have had to learn new ways of doing business in order to cope.
“It has been difficult for many of us in the industry.
I mean it has been almost two years now of uncertainty and no steady income.
A lot of us have been under immense pressure to provide for our families but through God, perseverance and hard work we have been able to make things work somehow.
“This is the way the world works now and if you do not adjust you are done.
As artistes we need to have our work on all social media platforms because that is where the audiences are now,” she said.
