35-year-old Sizo Hlophe, a cultural producer and manager from Eswatini pushing the music scene.
At itchysilk we have long loved and championed the brilliant music coming from this landlocked country. For all the talent in the world, however, there has to be infrastructure in place to push and give an avenue for established and aspiring musicians.
Antidote Music headed up by Sizo is the important infrastructure. Launched in 2012 Sizo and his team have turned Antidote Music into a recognised global name.
We had caught up with Sizo to talk music, passion, and sustainable music careers.
Talk a bit about growing up and how (if it did) did it help to pave/inspire your passion for music/creativity?
I grew up in a small town in Eswatini named Mankayane. I think I have always been curious. In a small town, you’re tucked away from vibrant cultural life, and all you know is what is around you. Luckily for me, I had a mother who was an avid reader and loved using her hands. She loved Afro-pop at the time and that was the soundtrack of the home.
One big mistake I have seen over time are artists are being too attached to their music (which is normal), but when the music is finished, set it free, it is no longer yours to keep.
I think my father, (who surprisingly is not even into music), swayed me towards music. When I was young, he used to manage a trade show that was the biggest trade and business expo in the country. For entertainment, the expo used to bring some of the biggest Southern African artists into Eswatini. Courtesy of all the artists or record labels he would get CDs, and these would be at my disposal. I think these two aspects of my life created that spark for music and creativity.
Give your thoughts on the following statement “to be a success in music it takes more than just a passion for music you need more”
I always say alone, talent and passion are not enough. I think patience is one big characteristic that one needs, and proactively putting yourself on the line and doing uncomfortable things. These could be intentionally spamming people with your music and being able to accept the rejection that comes with it.
One big mistake I have seen over time are artists are being too attached to their music (which is normal), but when the music is finished, set it free, it is no longer yours to keep. So, courage is the other trait—patience, and courage (because you need skin haha).
Let’s talk Eswatini and music and culture-discuss where it is at and why it is in a good place?
I think it’s shaping up nicely. More and more artists are getting the attention they deserve. I think artists are also getting more access to people, curators, and tastemakers (I guess this is the same reason I am having this interview). The ecosystem is building up nicely as well, especially with the new Copyright Act coming into effect, it means now we are ready to say we have an industry.
I am seeing a lot more brave young people who are saying this is what they want to do, this is happening across disciplines. There’s a new vibrancy in our cultural space that I can’t quite define yet, but I can say communities are popping up, and there are more and more activities happening in our cities.
Of course, the lack of or inactivity of structures to support the sector is a huge hindrance. We find ourselves needing to support each other, but that is great because it is what makes the community stronger. I believe we’re on a healthy rise and it’s just a matter of time.
Antidote started in 2012. Discuss why it started, why it was necessary for Eswatini and what other skills did you need to start Antidote?
It began in college, where I met The Antidotes, the earlier name was Antidote The House Movement (there’s still an active group on Facebook with the name). This was the initial name, a collective that was feeding off the buzz of South Africa’s vibrant music scene and wanted to emulate this in the most innovative ways.
Where we come from, Art is generally, seen as a hobby. Our idea differs. We believe artists can and should create sustainable careers through their work.
We were a collective of producers, DJs, and enthusiasts. With free access to the internet, we used to collaborate and share ideas remotely. We had 2 members based in Eswatini, 3 in Johannesburg, and 1 member in Canada. Projects and ideas were being shared via the internet. We had a good run with some prominent remixes we were doing and eventually the curiosity came, what if we opened this up to all? This was for many reasons; one we wanted to understand the money flow in the music business secondly, we started receiving demos from people who asked us to help them, (especially producers from Eswatini). We felt we had the platform to assist and put out some of Eswatini’s music on the internet.
In 2012, we started what we called Antidote Music and became the first music establishment from Eswatini to put music from the country on the internet.
Today we have a catalog that represents music from almost all continents of the world, with artists from Norway, Brazil, Singapore, USA, UK, Netherlands, France and more.
Discuss “sustainable careers” and why is this so important for Eswatini artists (and artists generally).
Where we come from, Art generally, is seen as a hobby. It is seen as something one does in their spare time or something one does because they have not found a “real” job. Our idea differs, we believe artists can and should create sustainable careers through their work. Eswatini already has one of the biggest youth unemployment in the continent, and the cultural sector if given the attention it deserves can be a solution.
In Eswatini’s Development Plan document, there’s no development focus on the sector. The words Art or Culture appear when they mention the responsible ministry or appear in different contexts. This means there’s no real urgency at the government level. This is something we want to change, by first changing perception and going on to influencing policy in one way or the other.
You started Antidote Culture Foundation in 2022 an NGO again why was this needed and what is the mission statement so to speak?
The NGO came as an intervention to provide capacity within Eswatini’s creative sector. So much is happening in Africa and globally in our sector. We realised we needed to catch up. This involved making information accessible. It involved providing capacity building to attract support through cooperation and avail that to Eswatini artists. It’s been a way in which we interact with various disciplines in our sector, and this has been a form of community of practice where we all learn together.
We’ve already run the Vukubone Music Conference in 2022 which helped to understand the needs from a ground level. Then in 2023 we developed and ran an accelerator program for 7 months. We also have managed to partner with a local organisation Yebo ArtReach to open a hub for Swazi creators where artists can co-work, collaborate, and showcase. It was important that the city would have this facility to create an environment where artists can feel more like themselves.
Talk a bit about Spell Book Event.
We just recently concluded our Spell Book Event 2024, (this was the first one). I hope to do this yearly and work closely with the literature community in the country. We partnered with a local book club named It’s In The Binding and they did a phenomenal job. It’s the country’s book festival and the attendance was amazing. Significantly, the community stressed how important the event was. These are some of the interventions we make through the hub we run, Yini Loku. We find ourselves working across disciplines, it’s all fun though, because some of us do work in other disciplines. I am a photographer when not working with music.
Itchysilk is an oxymoron-when is the last time you found/heard/witnessed something that was itchy yet silky
Doing what we do from here (Eswatini). I think the country doesn’t have much to offer artists or people working in the creative sector, but being able to do what we do almost gives me lots of pleasure. Being able to work in the sector from here makes me want to continue, it feels like we’re doing the impossible. That’s the only thing I could think of.