… Make the Mbabane theatre bold…
BY NELIWE NGUBANE
MBABANE — The world is watching, and Eswatini’s creatives have been challenged to give it something authentic to remember.
Eswatini National Council of Arts and Culture (ENCAC) CEO Stanley Dlamini says the country’s artists have a powerful role to play in taking the Kingdom’s stories, identity and culture beyond its borders.
Speaking at the launch of the inaugural October International Theatre Festival in Mbabane, Dlamini challenged creatives to move beyond simply entertaining local audiences and use their work to tell genuine Swati stories that can connect with audiences across the world.
He said theatre and other creative platforms could become powerful vehicles for presenting Eswatini’s identity to international audiences, particularly at a time when cultural storytelling continues to shape how countries are understood globally.
“The world wants to see the real Eswatini,” Dlamini said, urging creatives to embrace stories rooted in the country’s culture, experiences and identity.
His remarks came as the October International Theatre Festival was officially launched as a platform aimed at breathing new life into theatre and the wider creative sector in Mbabane.
Dlamini also called for the Mbabane Theatre to receive greater attention in the city’s development plans, saying the creative space should be treated as an important part of the capital’s cultural identity rather than an afterthought.
“Make the Mbabane theatre bold,” he said, stressing that the theatre should be prioritised when resources are allocated as the city works to strengthen its creative and cultural offering.
For Dlamini, investing in theatre is about more than providing artists with a stage. It is about creating spaces where local stories can be developed, performed and shared with audiences at home and abroad.
The October International Theatre Festival seeks to contribute to that vision by bringing together local and international creatives while creating opportunities for theatre, artistic development and cultural exchange.
With Eswatini’s creatives increasingly looking beyond traditional platforms, Dlamini’s call places authenticity at the centre of the country’s cultural ambitions — reminding artists that sometimes the strongest story they can take to the world is simply their own.
#OctoberTheatreFestival #StanleyDlamini #MbabaneTheatre #ArtsAndCulture #Eswatini #EPN
