ZCC Gospel Music Genre Artists United AGAINST SA MUSIC AWARDS DISCRIMINATION

The 2019 South African Music Awards (SAMAs) nominee announcement took place on Thursday, 25 April, and once again, the event proved that what is regarded as the ZCC gospel genre, which should fall under the Best African Indigenous Faith Album, has very little place in some areas and completely none in some. And the SAMAs is one of those where this genre has no place.
What was painful was listening to the RiSA CEO, Adv. Nhlanhla Sibisi ironically announce that the SAMA25 was hashtagged #Recognise, but the reality for ZCC gospel genre was complete #OstraciseZCCGospel.

We applaud the SAMAs for recognising African indigenous music in a world faced with issues of globalization and westernization. But African indigenous music is broad. Even its faith segment is broad.

It’s broader than Zion music groups, four of which made it in a category of five. It is broader than the Zulu language in a country with 11 official languages. All five nominees are Zulu albums. Tell us there’s no bias of any sort.

It is very disappointing, to say the least, that such a very important body as RiSA/SA Music Awards would be making such a very dire mistake of implying Zion music is the only African Indigenous Faith Music. It is further disheartening that you are, by your own actions, implying that there is music never to be listened to and in this case it is the ZCC gospel genre, which cannot be faulted not to be African, Indigenous, Faith, and without a huge following in the country and beyond the borders. Nothing worth nominating from this genre for the past 25 years? Really? This goes against what you should be standing for as a rights organisation body as this is a clear violation of other people’s rights.

While you are celebrating 25 years, we say not so fast. For 25 years, you have treated us like we don’t exist. For 25 years, you have implied our music is crap and belongs in the dustbin. We cannot allow you to continue this narrative. Either you come out and tell us you have no place for the ZCC Gospel genre and tell us why or you start taking us seriously. But we are not allowing you to sustain the status quo. For 25 years, our legends lived and died and you turned a blind eye. For 25 years, we let you be. We say no more!

This is Stage 1 of our attempts to get answers from you. We demand that you set up a meeting with us on info@wachumliloproduction.co.za, where a memorandum from our side will be submitted. Failure to heed this call will leave us no choice but to move to Stage 2 of this demand for answers.