Manike Mage Hithe and creative economy

The globalisation of the song ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ marks the first major success story of viral marketing in Sri Lanka. The Manike Mage Hithe cover by Yohani and Satheeshan, has exceeded 57 million views and is currently trending the world over, mainly in India, having been translated into Hindi, Malayalam, and Tamil. Amitabh Bachchan, one of the most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema, has praised the Sri Lankan song ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ in his blog. This can be considered a historical event in the Sri Lankan music industry.

If we need to ‘go global’ we need to understand global trends and all the environmental factors concerned. When analysing trendy songs such as Manike Mage Hithe, it is evident that they target new generations, Y, Z and generation A.

A decade ago, the Indian song Why This Kolaveri Di became a hit globally. Unlike in Sri Lanka, the Indian higher education sector at the time considered it in a positive light. The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), ranked amongst the topmost business schools in Asia, conducted discussions on the subject, backed by its own case studies. Even in IIM Ahmedabad, there was an hour-long discussion between the professor and students on the subject. Most of the Professors of IIMs, in Bangalore, Rohtak and Lucknow, played the song in class and reflected on the strategies used including viral marketing. Furthermore, the marketing club of IIM Ranchi organised a seminar on campus to study the strategy that had turned this song Why This Kolaveri Di into an overnight success (Abeysekera, 2011).

The popularity of songs such as Manike Mage Hithe and Why This Kolaveri Di in social media can be considered a message reiterating the power of creativity and innovation, with an essence of new technology. They originated from a truly internet savvy generation that articulates well the fashion and trends of the times. All stakeholders in the country have a responsibility to formulate a proper mechanism to elevate the creativity and imagination of our young generation. In such a scenario, ‘Creative Economy’ plays a vital role for the benefit of the country.

The creative industry refers to a “range of economic activities which are concerned with the generation or exploitation of knowledge and information”. The concept of a Creative Economy can be best summed up as the income-earning potential of creative activities and ideas. The music industry also plays a vital part in the Creative Economy. We have discussed the concept of ‘Creative Economy’ and its importance to Sri Lanka for decades but could not see any positive feedback from the administrators. (Refer to the article by Dr. W.A. Wijewardena titled A creative economy for SL’s future development: Much More To Be Done To Realise The Goal– https://www.ft.lk/w-a-wijewardena-columns/A-creative-economy-for-SL-s-future-development-Much-more-to-be-done-to-realise-the-goal/885-716359).

I think the success of Manike Mage Hithe has made Sri Lanka realise the importance of the ‘Creative Economy’.

Prof. Nalin Abeysekera

(The writer is a Professor in Management Studies at the Open University of Sri Lanka. You can reach him on nalinabeysekera@gmail.com)