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MEET STUDIO 1’S NEW VIBRANT PRESENTER: NALEDI DLAMINI

By Ntsika Ndlangamandla | 2023-09-18

Fortunately, there are places in the local sector that seem to prioritise the expressions and the culture of the youth.

Studio 1, a vibrant show on EswatiniTV which plays every Saturday, will be making its way back to our screens this coming Saturday.

The show had taken a break in between seasons and has added new and interesting twists to its production.

As a new and exciting twist to the show, Naledi Dlamini will join the team as a presenter. She expresses that she is familiar with the creative scene and creativity has played a big role in defining her character.

“I've always grown up in a creative household and was surrounded by music - more recently, television production.

“Creativity plays a big role in who I am, why I am the way I am, and how I view things. My vast knowledge and interest in music all stem from my upbringing, so ultimately there would be no Naledi without creativity. With that being said, my love for it has just grown immensely over the years, it's just in my blood,” she shares.

Dlamini shares that she never would have seen herself doing what she is doing now, as she was a part of the production team from behind the scenes.

Her being reserved and quiet made presenting the last thing in her mind. Studio 1, however, encourages creatives to expand themselves and their fields of knowledge.
“I've been a part of the Studio 1 team from the very beginning behind the scenes as a production assistant until I felt I was ready to take on the presenting role.

“Presenting was never something I saw myself doing, simply because I am naturally a very reserved and quiet person; however, Studio 1 always encourages all the creatives to dabble in different fields of creativity and expand their knowledge. At Studio 1, the sky is the limit so I took on the challenge and found myself enjoying it,” she adds.

motivation
Every artist has a source of inspiration that they draw from. For Naledi, people in her team act as a primary source of motivation and inspiration.

The way the show is curated, she reflects, allows for her to remain inspired due to its high level of quality and attention to its craft.

“I'd definitely have to say, first and foremost, that I draw my inspiration from the people around me on set - my team really is an all-star crew.

Seeing how talented the cinematographers are and how they're able to bring concepts to life is just mind blowing and next level for the country. Watching the presenters do their job so well, in itself, is inspiration.

The music, the artists that come on the show, the visuals and the quality of the content as a whole that comes out of there makes me hopeful and shows me that we as locals do actually have the ability to create world class creative content. The show definitely opened my eyes and inspired me on all the possibilities and heights we could reach,” she says.

Despite stepping into a new role filled with challenges and many eyes watching her, Naledi maintains that she does not feel any form of pressure due to the encouraging nature of her team mates and how her co-hosts have been successful in making her feel comfortable in front of the camera..

pressure
“Surprisingly enough, I don't feel any form of pressure because the team is like family and they're very encouraging, patient and accommodating.

Also, having worked behind the scenes helps me understand the patience that's needed and what comes with the job. My co-hosts Stunner and Bee Easy have made me feel so comfortable on set in front of the camera,” she maintains.

Making presenters comfortable in their jobs is dependent on the environment that they function in. She is aware, though, that she comes on after talented presenters who previously made the position their own.

“I feel that for a presenter to do their job exceptionally well, the working environment and atmosphere has to be positive and fun and every member of the team has made me feel so enthusiastic.

“I do come after great previous presenters who I think did and are doing exceptionally well and my aim is just to continue representing the youth in a positive and uplifting manner,” she says.
Despite the steady growth of the entertainment sector, the young presenter laments that there are still not enough creative spaces in the kingdom that allow the youth to thrive freely.

She maintains that more can and should be done for the youth as there are many talented individuals in the country that should not be exploited.

“I do not think there are enough creative spaces that allow freedom, especially for the youth. We could definitely do with more, especially considering the fact that there is so much talent in the kingdom that should not be exploited,” she says.

The role the young creative has gotten into was not always what she had in mind as a sole career. She does, however, view it in an optimistic light as a great opportunity for her to step outside of her comfort zone. Because of this, she expresses openness for all the great things to come as she is willing to dabble in different creative fields.

“As I'm getting into this creative field, I did not start it with the intent of making it my sole career. It is a challenge I've simply taken up on that is out of my comfort zone and a great opportunity. It's one of the many fields in the creative space that I'm still yet to take on and am open to many more of these pleasant challenges in the creative world.

I'd definitely like to dabble in many different creative fields and explore and learn as much as I can on my journey. I am ready and open for the great things to come,” she relays.

The youth occupies a significant portion of the country’s population and demographic. The youth also occupies a large percentage of the entertainment sector. Dlamini states that, regardless of these statistics, we as the youth are not represented in media as much as we could in light of our importance.

“I do not think that the youth is represented accurately to its full extent or potential. We have much more to offer than how we are represented,” she reflects.

As previously stated, we as young people are bound to make mistakes in all aspects of our lives. This will, inevitably, also spill over to our creative careers. Environments, therefore, that are more conducive to our growth and our propensity to make mistakes must be carefully crafted to match the delicate stage in our development that we are in.

Naledi holds the belief that, in order to create these environments, it is important to surround oneself with people with similar mentalities and understanding. She highlights the importance of awareness of our mistakes before we can even develop these healthy environments.

“I feel as if it's important to surround yourself with people with a common interest to create an understanding that there will be mistakes that are made.

Before we create environments that are more understanding of our growth, we have to start by being more aware about the mistakes that will be made down the line.

I feel like a problem we have as the youth is comparing our process and rate of success to other people and once we're able to be okay with moving at our own pace, the quality of each person's craft will be much better as opposed to rushing your process because you saw your peer ‘ahead’ of you,” she shares.

Due to the ‘trial and error’ nature of the creative sector, Naledi encourages the public to practice more sensitivity with their scrutiny of creatives. Experimentation, she says, has birthed some of the best ideas and success stories.

“It is also very important for people and the media not to scrutinise creatives for making mistakes as this line of work requires trial and error. Some of the best ideas and success stories come from experimenting and being innovative which comes with some mistakes before the final product. We then use this as something to learn from to better the quality of our craft,” she articulates.

Creativity is a special gift, despite the fact that anybody can occasionally engage in it. The presenter states that what sets one apart, however, is the quality of their skill and their craft. The shift in perspective regarding how one views mistakes positively affects one’s journey in the creative space.

“Anyone can create something, but it is the quality of the skill and craft that sets you apart from the rest.

For you to have that quality there will be errors along the way and those errors should not deter you from the bigger picture. Once we shift our perspective on making mistakes and look at it as learning experiences rather than failure, it will make the process more enjoyable,” she explains.
Concluding her thoughts on the topic of creativity amongst the youth, the young presenter shares that the memory she would love to remain in people’s minds concerning her is one of her being a source of positivity.

“I would like to be remembered as a person who helped people, positively impacted people's lives and was a source of genuine love,” she states. By ntsika ngcamphalala

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