BY NELIWE NGUBANE
MBABANE— A city is built with roads, buildings and infrastructure, but its identity is built through the people, stories and creativity that give those structures a soul.
For Mbabane Municipal Council Chief Executive Officer Gciniwe Fakudze, the city’s development must therefore go beyond bricks and concrete. Speaking at the official opening of the inaugural October International Theatre Festival in Mbabane, Fakudze said the arts and creative economy must be recognised as an important part of the city’s growth.
She said Mbabane was increasingly positioning itself as more than Eswatini’s administrative centre, with ambitions of becoming a dynamic smart city that embraces creativity alongside urban development.
“Mbabane is rapidly positioning itself not only as an administrative hub, but as a dynamic smart city that recognises that true urban development extends far beyond concrete, asphalt, and infrastructure,” Fakudze said.
Her words point to a changing understanding of what makes a successful city.
While roads, buildings and technology create the physical framework of an urban centre, Fakudze argued that culture gives the city character and resilience. For her, theatre, music, art and other creative disciplines are not luxuries reserved for entertainment, but important components of a thriving urban economy.
“A truly resilient and thriving city breathes through its arts, its culture, and its creative economy,” she said.
The October International Theatre Festival therefore arrives at a significant moment for Mbabane.
By bringing theatre practitioners and creatives together in the capital, the festival creates a platform where the city’s cultural ambitions can be experienced rather than simply discussed. It provides space for stories to be performed, ideas to be exchanged and audiences to engage with theatre as both an art form and a potential economic force.
Fakudze highlighted the role of the creative sector in creating opportunities for young people, attracting visitors and strengthening livelihoods.
“We recognise that the creative sector is a powerful driver of economic empowerment, tourism, and youth development,” she said.
Behind these words is a broader message about opportunity.
For young people, the creative industry can provide pathways into careers in acting, directing, writing, stage management, production, fashion, music, technical production and other areas. By investing in platforms where these skills can be developed and showcased, cities can help young creatives move from viewing the arts as a hobby to seeing them as a sustainable profession.
Fakudze also stressed the importance of international exposure.
“By hosting platforms of this international calibre, we are creating spaces where local talent can rub shoulders with global icons, where cross-cultural collaborations are born, and where our youth are inspired to see the arts as a viable, powerful career path,” she said.
The significance of this exchange extends beyond the festival programme.
When local artists encounter international performers and practitioners, they gain opportunities to learn different approaches, build networks and collaborate across borders. At the same time, international participants are introduced to Eswatini’s own creative voices, stories and cultural identity.
For Mbabane, Fakudze’s message suggests that hosting an international theatre festival can also form part of the city’s tourism and economic strategy.
A city that attracts artists can attract audiences. Audiences require accommodation, transport, food and other services, creating opportunities for businesses while exposing visitors to the city’s culture.
The festival can therefore become a meeting point between culture, tourism, youth development and economic empowerment.
Fakudze’s remarks ultimately challenge the traditional definition of development. Her vision is of a Mbabane where progress is measured not only by what is built, but also by the creativity, opportunities and cultural experiences generated within the city.
As the October International Theatre Festival opens its doors, the message from the municipality is clear: Mbabane wants its stages to become part of its city-building story — and it wants the creative sector to help write that story.
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