Photo credit: Radio NZ
I just watched a short video of Lynda Topp speaking at the Aotearoa Music Awards earlier this week.
The whole country is mourning the loss of her twin sister Jools, so many memories and tributes shared, but never is the grief more profoundly seen and heard than in the voice and on the face of Lynda as she stood on the stage to address the crowd, flanked and supported, as she was, by fellow performers.
She found her way through the acknowledgement of her deep sadness, and then her voice gathered strength as she spoke about our government's Budget released this week, and how the arts have been neglected, indeed funding for our creative entities such as Creative NZ and others has been drastically cut.
She also spoke about musicians, the scarcity of venues to play (there used to be so many more), and the struggle to secure any funding at all from a government requiring the submission of those torturous forms that require hours of work to complete with no guarantee of getting money at the end of it all.
No matter where you sit within the Arts sector - writer, poet, dramatist, musician, scriptwriter, and so many more - you'll probably know how tough it is to get your work out there, how much the support of those who appreciate your talent is valued, and how hard it is to make any kind of living out of it.
What bothers me most about the lack of support for the Arts is that so many people benefit from the sector's creativity. They love the music, the books, the artwork, the live theatre and shows and, in times like these when the world is in an uproar and times are really challenging, people often turn to the arts for solace, comfort, distraction, surety - and yet our government does not appear to see or in any way appreciate this 'human value', and, as Lynda pointed out in her address, it would rather assign a billion or two to our defence force (and what she had to say about that was great!!).
I've seen the effects of live music, playing drums as I do, sitting up the back behind the band, I watch the toe-tapping, the smiles, the relaxed faces, the dancing, the community music can create from the first note or drum beat, and of course I am happy behind my drum kit, loving the whole thing. I am in my very good place.
I'll end with these words from Lynda, spoken at the AMA, and if you haven't watched the video, please do. It's important. I quote: "So tonight, in the honour of my beautiful twin sister, who I will never ever, ever stop missing, be strong. Never give up. Play your instrument loud and sing at the top of your lungs, and remember that music makes us human."