Maxy called on government to help develop industry

Nnasaretha Kgamanyane | Friday February 14, 2014 16:12

 

Speaking during the launch of the payment of royalties by the Copyrights Society of Botswana (COSBOTS) early this week, cultural music trendsetter Olebile 'Maxy' Sedumedi said the government has to appreciate the creativity of Batswana more especially the music industry. Maxy said even though the country has  lot of talented young people, there is still a lot to be done to ensure that they deliver quality work of international standards.  She said that artists alone couldn't develop and produce good work worth selling abroad as they lack certain skills. Maxy said the proposed department could help nature artists and develop them into professionals able to deal with different aspects of the music business including behaviour, quality of work produced, management, copyright and others.

She said that if local artists had qualified management, they would not be exploited. Maxy also implored the government to make laws that would protect the artists to avoid these exploitations.  Maxy said that a lot of local artists have been exploited by records companies even in the neighbouring countries. Speaking from personal experience, Maxy said that as a young artist she was excited to have a record deal in South Africa, but was exploited as she did not sign any agreement papers and had no idea of which route to take. Lack of corporate sponsorship and guidance on how artists should  produce good music and brand themselves is also a great concern.

She called on the government to recognise them as entertainers and treat them like diamonds, that if they are well managed they could contribute to upgrading the economy of this country. She said the entertainment industry has a great potential of bringing more money in the country. She applauded COSBOTS for recognising the importance of the industry and ensuring that artistic work are secured.

One of the Ikalanga jazz artists Ndingo Johwa concurred with Sedumedi, saying government should enact laws that would protect artists. Also, there should be laws and regulations that create a conducive atmosphere for business. Moreover, said Johwa, the government should make strict piracy laws.