Artists should mirror the events, social ills that are troubling the society.‎‎

That is the true calling of an artist. An artist is not separated from his community. He lives inside it, he breathes the same air, he sees the same pain. Therefore, his work must be a mirror. When society is troubled, the art must show that trouble.

For instance, there is GBV, Child marriages, Drug and substance abuse, local development, opportunities and lastly entertainment.‎‎

These are not just headlines. They are realities in our homes, in our streets, in our schools. Gender Based Violence is breaking families. Child marriages are stealing the future of our girls. Drug and substance abuse is destroying the future of our boys and girls, taking away the youth who are supposed to be the leaders. And then, entertainment. Entertainment remains, but it must come last.

‎By placing what is affecting the society, the artists will break the grounds without any facilitation from promoters.‎‎

This is the truth. When an artist sings about what people are actually going through, people will listen. When a poet writes a poem about a girl child forced into marriage, the community will feel it. When a painter paints the pain of GBV, the image will speak louder than a hundred speeches. The artist does not need to wait for a promoter to facilitate his breakthrough. The message itself will make him break ground. The people will carry his work because his work is carrying their pain.‎

Many artists are waiting for a promoter, waiting for a sponsor, waiting for a stage. But the biggest stage is the society itself. If you place what is affecting society into your work, society itself will promote you.‎‎

Entertainment should be last but the message that is carried be it in music, poetry, drawing, painting, sculpting, models and so on must measure the willingness of an artists to fight for better in an environment he or she belongs then later on goes nationally or international.‎

Entertainment should not be the first goal. Entertainment should be last. First must be the message.

‎‎Whether it is in music, whether it is in poetry, whether it is in drawing, whether it is in painting, whether it is in sculpting and so on, the work must carry a message. That message must measure how willing the artist is to fight for better.‎

To fight for better in the environment he or she belongs. That is where it starts. The artist must first fight for better in his own village, in his own community, in his own district. He must speak for his own people. If he can change his own environment, then later on his voice will go nationally. And if it goes nationally, it will go internationally.‎

An artist who does not care about his own environment cannot convince the nation. An artist who does not measure his willingness to fight for his own community cannot measure up internationally.

‎So let the artists mirror the events. Let them mirror the social ills. Let them place social vices such as GBV, Child marriages, Drug and substance abuse in their work, and let entertainment be last. That is how art becomes relevant. That is how art becomes powerful.

By Bright Barwe