Veteran actor Sello Maake Ka-Ncube has lamented the state of the entertainment industry, claiming it is undergoing a cultural crisis and is "more barren than before 1994".
The actor, who has performed on stage and on screen for more than 30 years, including in the soapies Scandal and Generations, has long advocated that African culture be respected and preserved through the arts.
He went on a hunger strike in 2009, hoping to pressure the government into doing more to strengthen the entertainment industry. Now, eight years later, he says conditions have not improved.
"Culture is not valued and respected. During apartheid everything was about culture and these cultures were fostered and grown. Social and political conditions were atrocious, but cultures were preserved and showcased in a way that was abandoned after democracy.
"This is why the industry is now more barren than before 1994.
"It is sad that some actors nowadays do not appreciate their culture. They speak languages in half- sentences instead of paying the language the respect it deserves by speaking in full sentences," Ka-Ncube said, adding that he was in love with African culture and decided to abandon a potentially lucrative stay overseas to try to reform the local industry.
"I moved overseas to pursue several acting opportunities but returned because I believed in our culture," he said.
Ka-Ncubecriticised the 90% local content quota implemented at the SABC last year.
"It sounded great when it was announced but it wasn't planned properly and the potential benefits of it were not felt at grassroots.
"Black people lack vision. We live for the now. You can see this in our country's leadership. They should have been leading the way. At least in apartheid we understood why we were being oppressed. Now there are more questions than answers ."
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