The role of artistes in nation building

Vioja Mahakamani crew in action during a past national event. [File, Standard]

In a previous article, I discussed what functions art plays in our everyday lives. But perhaps a more important question to ask is what role do artistes and creatives play as members of our society?

At face value, it isn't easy to see what role artistes and musicians play in our society beyond merely entertaining us. But artistes are the creators and carriers of any society's culture. The penultimate cultural symbols of our nationhood are the products of artistes.