Khulekani Msweli’s ‘The Built Environment’ art exhibition
MBABANE – An art exhibition was held in Mbabane yesterday to raise funds for a tourist attraction in Vuvulane.
Designer, artist, social entrepreneur and owner of JeremPaul Khulekani Msweli, a resident of Vuvulane, which is a sugar cane farming community in the Lubombo Region packed and gathered hundreds of art lovers in the evening at the exhibition dubbed ‘The Built Environment’.
The exhibition which was attended by the European Union Delegation (EU) Ambassador to Eswatini Dessislava Choumelova, Executive Director for the Eswatini Copyrights Society Mmeli Hlanze and local Hiphop maestro Thamsanqa ‘KrTC’ Sibandze, among others, was held at the Yin Loku Exhibition Space in Mbabane in the old Cinelux building.
major
“This is my way as an artist and designer to showcase a major upcoming project in Vuvulane called the JeremPaul Lifestyle Centre,” Msweli said, adding that this has been his vision for the past 14 years.
Msweli, a Social Entrepreneur and a travelled Environmentalist said the building in Vuvulane will have a restaurant, art gallery, designer shop, fashion furniture shop and an amphitheatre for art performances.
He said the exhibition was to depict a picture of an alternative way of construction by using waste material, which could also be a way of reclaiming the environment from human degradation.
Msweli said the material to build the centre has been waste extracted from a landfill in Vuvulane.
He said the waste piled up when it was being dumped by the people behind the construction and mining industries.
Msweli said the project aims to recycle this.
“It is a way to say, let us work with the environment to create new spaces, but also using the arts to be a champion of employment for young people in a rural town like Vuvulane,” Msweli said.
Msweli said on Wednesday when he launched an online crowd funding initiative, it received a good reception.
He said in a space of 24 hours, he and partners raised E112 155.60 (US$6 000 as per yesterday exchange rate) against a target of E747 704.00 (US$40 000) which is the cost of the whole project.
The funding is open until May 3 and people who want to donate could contact Msweli at 7630 6944 or khulemsweli@gmail. com. Msweli said the construction is expected to start from mid-June and is anticipated to be finished by December.
It will be built at the Vuvulane Food Market site.
Msweli said local jobs would be created first during the construction and after the centre is up and running.
He also said when the centre is operational it would enable artists to host shows and perform to generate income by using the space.
ProsPects
Msweli said the idea of the crowd-funding was based on that less prospects of success from financial institutions including banks because artists were never entertained by financiers.
“Instead of sitting down on my dream, I thought to leverage on the power of my creative community to donate to a community in which we all believe in,” he said.
Msweli, an alumni of Waterford Kamhlaba United World
College of Southern Africa, said he was inspired by his experiences of travelling.
He said he intended to focus on a traditional form of construction by using waste material to give it the unique feel where tourists and artists would find their connection with the place.
Msweli said there were investors behind the project and that most of the funds for the construction were expected to come through the crowd-funding.
The co-owner of the Yini Loku Exhibition Space Siphelele Magagula said she believed that Msweli’s vision will change the future of the people of Vuvulane because it will bring economic empowerment through art.
“As Yin Loku, we are really excited to be the people to host this event and we hope that many people will come and learn about sustainable ways of construction,” she said.
PartnershIP
Magagula said the exhibition was a partnership between Yebo Art Gallery, Yebo Outreach and Antidote Culture Foundation.
She also said this was a space to showcase creative art which is open to both the public and artists for their different exhibitions or usage.
Magagula said although there were art pieces for sale at the exhibition, the event was not aimed at a financial goal but to sensitise people.
“We wanted more people to see and learn about what Khulekani (Msweli) was doing and create a platform for people to come and engage,” she said.
Local Hiphop maestro Thamsanqa Sibandze said it was gratifying that Msweli has always had a vision to contribute to the society and the country’s economic growth.
“This is just to say keep doing what you’re doing. The hard work of all these couple of years that you have put in is now showing up. He is about to do something that will not only shake and shape Vuvulane but is going to be the blueprint for the rest of the country, artisans and creative to follow,” Sibandze said, urging for people to donate towards this cause.