Sibu Mpanza – YouTube Artist
By Dr Danny Shorkend
He is one of a few who are pioneering a niche career in the South African cultural landscape, if you like, and his vision has yielded some success.
Of course, one may argue that the artist is someone who does not want to brand his or her work - that it is deeper than a so-called “career” or wanting a “following”, as YouTubers might say.
Such philosophical excursions grind to a halt when one considers Mpanza’s bubbling and focused demeanour in an interview before he left for Johannesburg.
He is clearly self-motivated, honest, confident and, even in his early twenties, has a story. The artistry simply comes from the technology of a cellphone, camera and tripod, and then the expression of certain content. Editing, sound effects and other touch-ups follow.
His work consists of lifestyle content, current affairs (including political satire), race, gender and class-related issues, as well as anecdotes and stories about himself.
I was surprised that in seven minutes (apparently the new attention span), one is entertained in quite a unique way. If one considers one probably does not give every single painting or sculpture in a gallery setting that amount of time (and with the ubiquity of art that is simply impossible), it is difficult to captivate an audience in that setting for that time.
In fact, the high polish of film and advertising versus a lone individual making videos of various aspects of his life renders this quite an imposing medium. Therefore, it is a courageous adventure Mpanza has undertaken.
He has worked with corporate and various commercial ventures and even hopes to have his own talk show one day. While this sort of video streaming is very new in this country, he cites the likes of Casper Lee, British-born South African YouTuber, as an inspiration.
That certainly seems to be paying dividends as Mpanza, featured on the livemag.co.za Top Five Young South Africans changing the Cultural Space in 2017, owns his own media company and has been the recipient of some important awards, such as runner-up for the South African YouTube awards, among others.
Discussing his style, Mpanza pointed to the fact that he finds the medium to be very “personal and hands-on”, that he felt “connected”, and that he does not know exactly how the medium will expand and evolve in the future. He is passionate about his Zulu family background, and can reach out quite expansively.
He was brought up in Mitchells Plain and attended Wynberg Boys' High School. Somehow, I do think he has a story to tell. He is a young artist and one should probably not be critical of YouTube's potential mass appeal.
In fact, many still do not have access to the internet. So, his message is apt and is transformative in the positive sense.