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Minister Makhosini Hlongwane

Bongani Ndlovu, Showbiz Correspondent
NEWLY appointed Minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Makhosini Hlongwane is set to meet artistes in Bulawayo tomorrow for a dialogue aimed at discussing issues around the sector’s development.

The meeting will be held at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Bulawayo and will start at 9AM with all artistes being invited to attend.

Minister Hlongwane, who was the Minister of Sport and Recreation, was recently re-appointed by President Mugabe in a Cabinet reshuffle where arts and culture were added to his portfolio.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Dr Benson Dube, confirmed tomorrow’s meeting.

He said Minister Hlongwane will interface with the artists following his reassignment.

“It’s an interface meeting with the artists after the arts aspect was included in his portfolio. So he wants to meet the artists to have a better understanding of his constituency.

“The meeting is for all artists in the southern parts of the country meaning artistes from as far as Victoria Falls will also attend,” said Dr Dube.

“The National Arts Council, the arts industry’s mother body, is coordinating the artistes.”

Last month, Minister Hlongwane had a familiarisation tour of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe in Harare which falls under his portfolio.

With or without sufficient funding from Treasury, Minister Hlongwane has promised to leave no stone unturned in pursuit of arts excellence in the country.

Arts critic, Raisedon Baya, has already commended the minister for the meeting with artistes saying this was a step in the right direction as his predecessor had failed to do so in the two years he was in office.

“The seriousness of our government will only be measured on what it puts on the table to support the arts sector and it seems our new minister knows that too well.

“I could be wrong, but I believe that finally, the arts could be having a minister who’ll be able to articulate and push our vision and dream as a sector better,” said Baya.