The Recording Industry of South Africa (RiSA), the organisers of the SA Music Awards (SAMA) note with dismay the politicisation of an apolitical national cultural asset that has been in operation for 29 years.
The SAMA are the largest, most prestigious, inclusive and representative music awards event in the South African music landscape. They continue to attract considerable attention and support as well as viewership among music awards across the continent.
In this unfortunate politicisation of the province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) hosting a show of this magnitude, the benefits thereof have been disregarded. The SAMA will directly create 150 new job opportunities and over 70 musicians and practitioners will perform across the nominees announcement event to the non-broadcast awards as well as the live broadcast show.
It is not only the creative sector that stands to gain from the SAMA, there are countless downstream benefits not only for Durban but KZN province. We expect to have in excess of 4 000 South Africa music supporters visiting the city from elsewhere in the province, the country, the continent and the world. Industries of tourism and hospitality will be ignited. As it stands, the SAMA alone is in the process of confirming in excess of 350 rooms across various hotel groups between 12 and 20 November 2023. The expectation is that the number will more than double from current numbers as fans, industry partners and associates descend on Durban for the SAMA weekend. Furthermore, the informal business sector will also benefit and auxiliary services such as public transportation, e-hailing services as well as retail will also gain. A trip to KZN for families provide a sho’t left that contributes to the local economy.
Many numbers have been bandied about as the alleged sponsorship amount from the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs in KZN and we wish to categorically state that none of them are true investment made by the department. In addition to a provincial sponsorship which is not sufficient to cover all the production, eventing and promotional needs, the SAMA still continues to solicit and rely on the generosity of commercial sponsors in organising this proudly South African annual event.
Contrary to spurious allegations, our conversation with the City of eThekwini has been on infrastructure and logistics support and does not include any financial contribution.
We are thankful for the support shown by the government of KZN to our industry that was hardest hit by the devastating Covid-19 pandemic and other calamities such as floods, as well as a tough economic environment our practitioners find themselves in. The music industry continues to prove its tenacity and resilience. Our musicians are making strides on international stages as cultural ambassadors exporting our unique and vibrant craft.
RiSA remains committed to the cause of musicians and putting them first. We look forward to celebrating these gallant South African heroes of song and dance at an event that befits their stature in partnership with the government of KZN and our other sponsors.
We will communicate further in days to come about the road to SAMA29 and how fans can be part of the journey.