Mbabane – US-based Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico, director Charlie Lockwood encouraged Emaswati creators to collaborate and get their stories aas well as art into the global arena.
Speaking to Swazi24 at the Mbabane Theatre Club with some practitioners from the creative industry, including musicians, artists and poets, Lockwood said he has seen the zeal among Emaswati.
Lockwood has travelled the world for the sake of art, and he frequently sees communities proudly organising shows based on their community folk art. His portfolio also includes public initiatives, education, and music in worldwide communities. 
According to Lockwood, the value of creativity should be designed to encourage collaboration. His purpose, however, is to inspire creatives to establish programmes that aim to activate cultural heritage while also benefiting the creative economy.
Emaswati can take lessons from the strengths in the US that keep growing in various ways. It now rests on them to make sure it is locally accessible to creatives. They continued to share ideas and engage in conversation about how cultural heritage can be preserved.
Lockwood encouraged them to do the work closely with policymakers while reflecting on some of the initiatives happening in the US through the Freedom 250 themed, “Cultural Heritage: Celebration, Conversation, Creation.”
To emphasise his point he said; “There are a lot of people doing amazing work, from individual practitioners to the government that supports these initiatives at the local level and at the national level. And I’ve been really impressed with enthusiasm that I’ve seen and a deep love and appreciation for the cultural heritage that is here.”
The Freedom 250 is a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the creation of the US and the birth of our nation. The themes around freedom mean in terms of artistic expression, cultural expression, and the way that traditional culture and heritage can be preserved and carried on in communities.
“There are so many people I’ve met that are doing that great work, and they’re very creative, and I think there’s a lot of opportunity here to unlock more of that possibility and more of those opportunities. And I would just suggest that collaboration, working together, expressing new ideas, being open to new ideas, and embracing new technologies and embracing young people’s visions of what art and culture mean is a really important step there,” Lockwood said.
Lockwood, who is visiting Eswatini after 20 years, through the US Embassy and the State Department, is full of praise for the country’s scenery and hospitality.
“I’m honoured to be here. The people have been so warm and welcoming. I came here in 2006 when I was a college student spending time in South Africa, and I was heading from Durban in South Africa to the beach in Mozambique.
“I drove all the way through Swaziland, but I have to say I’m sad to say I didn’t really stop and spend time here. I’m thankful I was given a chance 20 years later to come back and really experience it at a deeper level,” he said.
