Pearl Thusi asks Minister Mthethwa to help artists with 'actual support or money'
The same way he always tweets “us congrats and condolences”
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Image: ALON SKUY
Actress Pearl Thusi has joined the many famous celebs who have called out minister of sports, arts and culture Nathi Mthethwa for not financially assisting struggling artists during the coronavirus pandemic.
In an impassioned plea to the minister amid SA's third wave of Covid-19, Pearl has called on the ministry to give the same amount of energy to artists who are in need of financial assistance as they do to congratulating and sending their condolences to the nation's shining stars.
“Dear Minister Nathi Mthethwa, I say this in the sincerest way: Artists are struggling. Can you assist with actual support or money like how you tweet us congrats and condolences?” wrote Pearl.
Dear Minister @NathiMthethwaSA , I say this in the sincerely way… 🥺 artists are struggling… can you assist with actual support/ money like how you tweet us congrats and condolences. 🥺
— #QueenSono (@PearlThusi) July 19, 2021
As usual, Pearl's tweet sparked a conversation around the ministry's failure to adequately take care of artists.
However, there were some users who felt celebs earn enough and rather needed to change their lavish lifestyles to accommodate the new normal.
Check out some of the reactions below:
Adjust your lifestyle...there's people that need it more. You can't compare artist that wanna look rich with people struggling for meals every day. It's the problem of not diversifying your income when you're up...but when youre down all of a sudden government must help?
— Emildene Micheals (@Emildene) July 19, 2021
I have realised with the comments in this tweet that most people artists are only people they see on TV. You have no idea.
— Mmamane_Wa_Bana (@_Varietty) July 19, 2021
The department could help by hosting monthly online art festivals that run weekend-long and then pay artists for actual work. Creative SMMEs can also be given market access opportunities by creating online shops where their products can be showcased & sold
— Zoë (@sweetmellow_g) July 20, 2021
😂 this hand out culture is a problem... The government should give you money because you are artists?... What level of craziness is this one... ? Y'all chose y'alls career paths if it's not working out then quit...
— Lord Austin (@LordAustin5) July 19, 2021
I feel your pain.
— iqiniso (@iqiniso9) July 19, 2021
Let shutdown everything in RSA mybe they'll start looking at artists.
Artists refused to support 90% of their content played on all our SA platforms to maximise their royalties, their suffering is deliberate henceforth and giving sympathy to such a futile exercise.
— Giuseppe Kemp (@giuseppe_kemp) July 20, 2021
Reading the comments, and it becomes clear how little people know about the entertainment industry. People actually don't know that only a fraction of artists are fortunate enough to even afford anything.
— ThapsAphiri (@ThomthapsAphiri) July 19, 2021
Pearl isn't the only fave to call out the minister for the way he has handled the arts and providing assistance to artists who may have been out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Choreographer Bontle Moloi gave a spicy response to Mthethwa after he took to social media to celebrate International Dance Day on April 29.
“Thank you Minister Nathi Mthethwa for the acknowledgment for my community. I could respond by expressing my grievances, concerns and bottomless questions on when and how things will get better for all artists and not just dancers, but are you not without those brought to your attention every single day and that energy is not the kind I want to address today,” said Bontle.
Check out the post here:
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