Minister Nathi Mthethwa: Backing Vocalists and Session Musicians Awards

Hon Minister Nkosinathi Mthethwa, MP’s message of support to the Backing Vocalists and Session Musicians Awards, 5th February 2023 at Soweto Theatre, South Africa

Dr Yvonne Chaka Chaka Mhinga,
The Backing Vocalists and Session Musicians Awards team,
The nominees,
Respective representatives of corporate sponsors present,
The creative arts family,
ladies and gentlemen,
I greet you all.

Allow me to start off by paying tribute to the work, vision, and commitment of one of our own, who is not just a South African singer, songwriter, actress, entrepreneur, humanitarian and a teacher. Kindly allow me to pay homage to a phenomenal creative that is not just dubbed the "Princess of Africa” after her 1990 tour, but one who has been at the forefront of South African popular music for over 35 years and is popular in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Gabon, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and elsewhere in the world. Fellow South Africans and the creative family of our continent and the diaspora, would you further allow me to recognise one who churned out evergreens like "I'm Burning Up", "Thank You Mr. DJ", "I Cry For Freedom", "Motherland" and the iconic “Umqombothi" which was featured in the opening scene of the 2004 movie Hotel Rwanda. I talk of none other than Princess Africa herself, Dr Yvonne Chaka Chaka Mhinga. Give it up to the jewel of this, our beautiful country and mighty continent, for conceptualising this noble idea of honouring the backing vocalists and session musicians, by epitomising the idiom that it takes a village to grow a child. Similarly, Dr Chaka Chaka Mhinga has given best credence to the idiom by demonstrating that it takes a village of backing singers and session musicians to grow evergreens and singalongs of any star-lit sovereign nation. Through your endeavour, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, as well as other sponsors, we are holding hands in paying tribute to these gifted sons and daughters of our land, present here today. Therefore, it can only be fitting that I have had to start my submission today, by paying tribute to you, before I turn the spotlight on the nominees. Arise Dr Chaka Chaka Mhinga for us to celebrate you, arise.

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has sustained its track record of supporting various creative and artistic initiatives from a myriad of genres since the dawn of our democracy. The Backing Vocalists and Session Musicians Awards, initiated by our own, Dr Chaka Chaka Mhinga, is one such a project that the Department has supported over the years. The project’s aim is to achieve a meaningful recognition of unsung heroes and heroines in the music industry who have contributed to the excellent expression of the body of work penned by various gifted composers, arrangers and lyricists of our country and those of other nations too. Established in 2014, the awards tell a story of those who spent time and years weaving a quilt of a colourful music canvass with our great composers and producers.

To the Backing Singers and Session Musicians Awards nominees, today you give evidence to the truism that the art of backing, and session artistry is a noble profession, it is work of true talent. It takes the creative genius of men and women of your calibre, to produce the great music catalogue we have to date. You put in hours of rehearsals in order to perfect compositions that define the music idioms of this, our beautiful country. Your selfless contribution through your voices and dexterity of skill on your various instruments, hold together the immaculate harmonies that soothe our ears and give us sanity and a unique identity as a people. It is your collective voices and unique rhythm expressivity that this, our country’s music, has earned a fitting credit as a family of doyens of music that stands shoulder to shoulder with the music of other nations of the world.

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture has chosen to support this noble and unique initiative because we can never not show up to demonstrate our duty and resolve to celebrate excellence in established and budding talent equally in the creative sector. We are unshaken in the quest to position the arts as a critical creative economy sector that contributes meaningfully to the entire mainstream economy of our country. Our commitment to address outstanding areas of need that still require funding and development in the creative industry, will be sustained in accordance with the Revised White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage. We are enjoined since 1996, by the applicable legislative framework, to consolidate the transformative trajectory in the sport, arts, culture and heritage landscape. The department will not rest, as it is evident that all of us in the sector won’t and dare not rest in our collective quest and commitment to transform the entire creative space until the desired impact is attained. We must strive to attain excellence in the sector with irrevocable commitment, with high levels of accountability to the sector and country, and with high moral, honesty and integrity.

In conclusion, I take this opportunity to wish the nominees in the twin category of the Backing Vocalists and Session Musicians Awards, the best of luck. You are all winners. Allow me to return the spotlight on wishing this champion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and malaria, the United Nations MDG Envoy for Africa, and the Goodwill Ambassador for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and the one who was chosen by Nelson Mandela as the first ambassador of his children's fund, amongst other accolades, the one and only Dr Yvonne Chaka Chaka Mhinga, illustrious success in her endeavour to work with the department to make success of this august project. Sponsors, backing singers, and session musicians, let us all work with Dr Chaka Chaka Mhinga towards years of tireless endeavour and sustained resolve in developing an invaluable national catalogue that defines us, as a people, and positions this, our beautiful country, favourably in a gallery of the prolific and creative nations of the world.

I wish this noble project great success in many years to come. I thank you.

Mr Nathi Mthethwa (MP)
Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture

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