An ODE to Nelisa Lawton

Mandisi Dyantyis was standing on one of Luju's biggest stages when I remembered a much smaller room.

It was 2019 at the Theatre Club in Mbabane. Before Luju audiences sang every word to Molo and Mabaphile Abantu. 

Before he described his relationship with Eswatini as "one for the books." Before he spoke about how Emaswati always surprised him with how warmly they received him and how they always sang along. Nelisa Lawton had already brought him here.

And my thing is Nelisa Lawton's work, some of its greatest moments only reveal themselves years later.

For more than a decade, Lawton has quietly shaped Eswatini's jazz landscape, not by placing herself at the centre of it, but by creating spaces where artists and audiences could meet. 

Through Legendary Events, Into Music Society and later The Jazz Gallery, she has spent years introducing Eswatini to some of Africa's finest musicians while making sure local artists were given the same opportunity to be seen, heard and appreciated.

Together with her late husband, Lawton founded Legendary Events over 14 years ago. What began as an event management company sourcing entertainment for corporate functions soon developed into something much bigger. 

Both passionate jazz lovers, they recognised that Eswatini audiences deserved greater access to world-class live music without having to travel beyond the country's borders.

Over the years, they brought some of the continent's most respected musicians to Eswatini, including Dr Abdullah Ibrahim, Hugh Masekela, Sibongile Khumalo, McCoy Mrubata, Paul Hanmer, Tiale Makhene and many others. 

Those concerts gradually became part of the country's cultural calendar, introducing audiences to artists whose music had already travelled the world.

What made Lawton's approach different, however, was that the performance was never the only objective.

Whenever possible, visiting artists stayed behind to host workshops with aspiring musicians. They shared knowledge, spoke about their journeys and, in some cases, collaborated with local performers. The concerts came and went, but the learning remained.

That philosophy eventually grew into the Into Music Society (IMS), the non-profit organisation Lawton co-founded to support music education and artist development in Eswatini.

Since International Jazz Day was established in 2012, Lawton has led Eswatini's annual celebrations. 

Through IMS, the Youth Jazz Sessions became more than an annual concert. Young musicians were invited to learn jazz standards, explore Afro-jazz and perform alongside professional musicians before audiences filled with proud parents, friends and fellow artists.

Over time, the programme developed a life of its own. Young musicians began asking to be included, and each edition continued to grow, proving that there was an audience willing to embrace jazz when given the opportunity.

Her commitment to local artists extended beyond workshops and performances. In 2018, IMS released Swazi Vibes Vol. 1, a compilation showcasing 15 artists across different genres.

It reflected the same belief that has guided much of Lawton's work: creating opportunities that allow artists to build sustainable careers while remaining rooted in Eswatini.

The Jazz Gallery carried that philosophy into another chapter.

For years, it has become one of Mbabane's most important homes for live music, welcoming both internationally recognised performers and local musicians.

Artists such as Iya, Zwile, Judah and many others have all found a platform there, performing before audiences that arrived not simply because they recognised every name on the poster, but because they trusted the space Lawton had created.

That trust is perhaps one of her greatest contributions. She built rooms where audiences became willing to discover unfamiliar music.

She built rooms where established musicians and emerging artists shared the same stage.

She built rooms where conversations continued long after the final encore.

Watching Mandisi Dyantyis perform at Luju this year made those years of work impossible to ignore.

After his performance, he reflected on his relationship with Eswatini, describing it as one 'for the books' 

He smiled as he spoke about the warmth of local audiences, admitting that every visit continued to surprise him because Emaswati always sang along and welcomed him with open arms. He added that he and Eswatini went a long way back.

Hearing those words, it was difficult not to think back to that evening at the Theatre Club in 2019.

Long before Luju became part of his Eswatini story, there was already an audience waiting for him here.

Relationships like that do not happen overnight. They are built patiently, performance after performance, introduction after introduction, by people who believe in bringing artists and audiences together long before anyone calls it a full-circle moment.

During Luju's wine tasting experience, I asked Lawton whether audiences could expect The Jazz Gallery to return.

And ohw well, the shows will be back. For now, she said, she is giving herself permission to rest.

There was something quietly comforting about those words.

After years spent producing concerts, organising workshops, mentoring artists and building platforms that have shaped Eswatini's jazz community, perhaps rest is exactly what she has earned.

And so I'm guessing the stages will return. The music will return. The conversations will return. NELISA LAWTON will return. 

And when they do, they will continue a story that has been unfolding for well over a decade.

It is easy to celebrate the artist standing beneath the spotlight. They deserve every round of applause they receive.

But every now and then, it is worth looking beyond the stage and acknowledging the people who built it.

Nelisa Lawton has never claimed ownership of the artists she has hosted, nor has she sought credit for the careers that have flourished after passing through Eswatini. 

Instead, she has consistently done something far more meaningful. She has created spaces where music could be heard, where young artists could learn, where audiences could discover something new and where culture could continue to grow.

Some legacies are measured in awards. Others are measured in the artists who keep returning, the musicians who found their confidence on local stages, the audiences who continue filling jazz venues, and the quiet certainty that Eswatini's place on Africa's cultural map has been strengthened because someone kept opening the door.

Nelisa Lawton has spent years opening that door. And for that, the music keeps finding its way home.

And so this is and ODE to Nelisa Lawton for her beautiful work!