THE KwaZulu-Natal Kwande Festival is a regular annual initiative of the non-profit organisation, the KwaZulu-Natal United Music Industry Association (KUMISA), whose primary role is to support the development of the KwaZulu-Natal music sector by partnering with the government, private sectors and key industry organisations to bridge knowledge and skills gaps among the music SMMEs (small, medium and micro enterprises) in the province.

The festival took place over three days and was in partnership with the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.

The aim of the KZN Kwande Festival this year was to provide creatives, artists and small businesses with a platform to showcase their skills and businesses while also enabling them to network and share skills and knowledge as well as learn from industry experts who were panellists over the three-day event.

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According to KUMISA, the theme for this year’s Kwande Festival was, ‘The new music business and the role of intellectual property’. The panellists discussed several points, including intellectual property in the age of streaming, live-streaming in the digital era, bolstering legislation, the future of collaboration and the importance of music-licensing education and its potential to create a more sustainable and supportive environment for music creators.

Norma Mzimela, who works for KUMISA and put together the day-to-day itinerary of the event had this to say when asked about what KUMISA hoped to achieve with the Kwande Festival:

1. What did you wish to see as the end result of this year’s Kwande Festival?
Various creative industry sectors meeting, educating and potentially collaborating with government, municipalities and the private sector to stimulate the creative economy.

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2. Why was it important for KUMISA to have these engagements with creatives?
It gives KUMISA an opportunity to impart and gain knowledge from its stakeholders which include creatives, government, municipalities and the business society. The intended outcome of this is a fair business environment where creators, enablers, users and consumers of music works operate in a synchronised manner – where legislative and regulatory frameworks are in place and creatives are protected from exploitation.

3. How does the Kwande Festival benefit the creatives involved?
Apart from networking with delegates, it provides market access for exhibiting creatives while knowledge is shared through informative panel discussions and artists are assisted with music-recording opportunities and counselling opportunities.

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