Amidst the mayhem and despair of Sri Lanka’s most ferocious and devastating Covid-19 wave yet, a young female singer provided a welcome and comforting distraction over the past week with a song and music video that has now become the most viewed music video by a Sri Lankan artist ever on video streaming giant YouTube. Her female cover of an originally male song crossed 50 million views yesterday evening, with most of the views coming from outside Sri Lanka. Giving her a stamp of approval as she took social media by storm was none other than Bollywood heavyweight Amitabh Bachchan, fondly known as Big B, who shared the video and professed his admiration of it, providing a Big Boost to local talent on an international stage.
This is the type of potential that exists in the music, drama, movies, and literature our artists produce; enough to grab the attention of an international audience, and on par with the best the region has to offer. And yet, while a multigenerational superstar in India can show his appreciation and promote the work of our talent, the situation on our own shores is a lot different.
Yes, thanks to the pandemic, artists can no longer hold live concerts, while fans can barely support themselves, let alone pay for content. But it’s no secret that the arts saw little support even before Covid hogged the limelight – whether in the form of mainstream media paying little attention to independent artists, or successive governments extending meagre support to the industry as a whole, viewing it only as a source of entertainment and relaxation, and not a serious industry. Despite the formation of some small-scale unions and the like, the arts have never been a part of any national policy, while most artists are left to fend for themselves in an industry that often devolves into a dog-eat-dog environment. It is from this largely ignored segment that the above piece of music rose to prominence, reminding us – just like the international award-winning movies of our directors, and the critically-acclaimed works of literature by our authors – that we are a people of culture, and a rich culture at that.
But besides fame and entertainment value, what good can the arts do for Sri Lanka, one might ask? While the ants that form our export industries slave away to generate all-too-valuable foreign exchange, what good are these grasshoppers that exist to entertain? The answer lies not too far away, in the example of South Korea.
In the 1990s, South Korea established a Cultural Industry Policy to invest in music, movies, teledramas, and literature, and this policy has been upheld by all successive governments. The result? In 2019, the export of South Korean cultural products, such as Korean pop, or K-Pop, and movies, generated the nation an export revenue of $ 12.3 billion. The global mega hit Gangnam Style by Psy, which became the first YouTube video to reach 1 billion views; Bangtan Boys (BTS), often referred to as the biggest band in the world; and Parasite, the first non-English winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture; are just a few of the well-known beneficiaries of this policy. In comparison, Sri Lanka’s entire export revenue in 2019 stood just 33% higher than this single industry of South Korea, at $ 16.4 billion.
Of course, attempting to pump in this support overnight to force out the same success at the same speed is not possible – culture just doesn’t work that way. However, the sorry state of artists and the arts calls for a long-term, well-planned strategy; one that should definitely go beyond political agendas and profit-seeking objectives, at least for the first few years.
It is important to understand that one of the reasons the country is in an economic crisis is because numerous governments have focused on short-term policies and projects, and prioritised politics over national interests. This kind of long-term strategy, on the other hand, will motivate and benefit our youth, while boosting foreign reserves through increased export revenue. South Asia has a market of over 1.5 billion people, and odds are that we would be able to penetrate that market to a considerable extent.
Sri Lanka has to do it sooner or later, not only to ensure that our arts are revived, and can thrive, but to allow our artists the chance to achieve their full potential, both within and outside the country, and thereby contribute to the economy.
Time for a change of tune
22 Aug 2021
Time for a change of tune
22 Aug 2021
Amidst the mayhem and despair of Sri Lanka’s most ferocious and devastating Covid-19 wave yet, a young female singer provided a welcome and comforting distraction over the past week with a song and music video that has now become the most viewed music video by a Sri Lankan artist ever on video streaming giant YouTube. Her female cover of an originally male song crossed 50 million views yesterday evening, with most of the views coming from outside Sri Lanka. Giving her a stamp of approval as she took social media by storm was none other than Bollywood heavyweight Amitabh Bachchan, fondly known as Big B, who shared the video and professed his admiration of it, providing a Big Boost to local talent on an international stage.
This is the type of potential that exists in the music, drama, movies, and literature our artists produce; enough to grab the attention of an international audience, and on par with the best the region has to offer. And yet, while a multigenerational superstar in India can show his appreciation and promote the work of our talent, the situation on our own shores is a lot different.
Yes, thanks to the pandemic, artists can no longer hold live concerts, while fans can barely support themselves, let alone pay for content. But it’s no secret that the arts saw little support even before Covid hogged the limelight – whether in the form of mainstream media paying little attention to independent artists, or successive governments extending meagre support to the industry as a whole, viewing it only as a source of entertainment and relaxation, and not a serious industry. Despite the formation of some small-scale unions and the like, the arts have never been a part of any national policy, while most artists are left to fend for themselves in an industry that often devolves into a dog-eat-dog environment. It is from this largely ignored segment that the above piece of music rose to prominence, reminding us – just like the international award-winning movies of our directors, and the critically-acclaimed works of literature by our authors – that we are a people of culture, and a rich culture at that.
But besides fame and entertainment value, what good can the arts do for Sri Lanka, one might ask? While the ants that form our export industries slave away to generate all-too-valuable foreign exchange, what good are these grasshoppers that exist to entertain? The answer lies not too far away, in the example of South Korea.
In the 1990s, South Korea established a Cultural Industry Policy to invest in music, movies, teledramas, and literature, and this policy has been upheld by all successive governments. The result? In 2019, the export of South Korean cultural products, such as Korean pop, or K-Pop, and movies, generated the nation an export revenue of $ 12.3 billion. The global mega hit Gangnam Style by Psy, which became the first YouTube video to reach 1 billion views; Bangtan Boys (BTS), often referred to as the biggest band in the world; and Parasite, the first non-English winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture; are just a few of the well-known beneficiaries of this policy. In comparison, Sri Lanka’s entire export revenue in 2019 stood just 33% higher than this single industry of South Korea, at $ 16.4 billion.
Of course, attempting to pump in this support overnight to force out the same success at the same speed is not possible – culture just doesn’t work that way. However, the sorry state of artists and the arts calls for a long-term, well-planned strategy; one that should definitely go beyond political agendas and profit-seeking objectives, at least for the first few years.
It is important to understand that one of the reasons the country is in an economic crisis is because numerous governments have focused on short-term policies and projects, and prioritised politics over national interests. This kind of long-term strategy, on the other hand, will motivate and benefit our youth, while boosting foreign reserves through increased export revenue. South Asia has a market of over 1.5 billion people, and odds are that we would be able to penetrate that market to a considerable extent.
Sri Lanka has to do it sooner or later, not only to ensure that our arts are revived, and can thrive, but to allow our artists the chance to achieve their full potential, both within and outside the country, and thereby contribute to the economy.
Kapruka
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!