Minister of Arts and Culture, at National Assembly
2 June 2006
Madam Speaker,
Ministers and Deputy Ministers,
Honourable members,
Heads of Statutory Bodies,
Directors-General and officials,
Ladies and gentlemen;
As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the march of over 20 000 women to
the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956, I would like to dedicate my speech to all
the women (and children) of South Africa, who despite present day challenges of
poverty, diseases, unemployment, violence toil everyday to building a better
South African and a better world.
I would also like to pay tribute to the late Cde Nomngqengqo Duna
(uMamqocwa), who passed away on 5 March 2003. She was my friend, my comrade and
my hero. An inspirational woman who was a repository of knowledge and an
embodiment of the philosophy we are promoting today. A philosophy that
recognises that every women has God-given innate leadership abilities.
Although Mamqocwa was not as fortunate as some of us to have received an
education beyond primary school level, she was amazingly endowed with
intelligence and an analytical mind naturally gifted.
She was a role model, a brave woman and a great leader in her own right who
demonstrated that knowledge is not only gained though formal education but
through lived and experiential wisdom. An unsung hero, long live the spirit of
Cde Mamqocwa.
In his opening statement at the special event on the Challenges of
Eradicating Poverty for Sustainable Development in 2001, United Nations
Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan had this to say; âThe poor are seldom poor by
choice. Very few people in this world enjoy living on handouts. Most people
know that they are quite capable of earning their living by their own efforts
and are eager to do so. But they must be given a fair chance to compete. That
applies to individuals. It applies to companies. And it applies to
countries.â
I agree whole heartedly with Mr Annan and in todayâs Budget Vote debate, I
would like to focus only on those programmes and projects of the Department of
Arts and Culture (DAC) that address the challenges of the second economy
through the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA)
and the Joint Initiative for Priority Skills Acquisition (JIPSA). And as stated
in the AsgiSA document âwe are convinced that to achieve AsgiSAâs goal of
halving unemployment and poverty by 2014, we will have to pay particular
attention to the concerns of women and youthâ.
Arts in society
1.Mosadi wa Kono Kono Campaign
The Mosadi wa Kono Kono Campaign is a programme which aims to unleash the
God-given innate capabilities, possessed by all women regardless of their
circumstances. This campaign acknowledges and pays tribute to the incredible
leadership role played by ordinary women especially in the poorest of
communities.
It strongly advocates the development of women leadership and the creation
of a cadreship of role models. The women involved in this programme play a
leading role in their communities, championing development initiatives that are
supported by our Investing in Culture (IIC) fund. We do not expect women to
demonstrate excellence without having invested in cultivating this
excellence.
The Mosadi wa Kono Kono campaign has already been launched in six provinces.
However, the Mosadi wa kono kono fever has already caught on in all nine
provinces. Women and womenâs networks have been actively involved in cultural
development and skills training programmes.
At this point I also wish to congratulate one Mosadi wa Kono Kono who has
recently received the Order of the Baobab, Mama Grace Masuku. She was
recognised for her role in promoting indigenous plants with medicinal value and
passing on her incredible knowledge to large groups of equally enthusiastic
youth.
Later in the year, during August (womenâs month), we will be hosting an
awards ceremony to honour or give due recognition to women who have done
outstanding work in their communities; women who have played a courageous role
in history and those who have contributed to the development of their
communities. The youth will play a critical role in identifying and profiling
Mosadi wa Kono kono.
2. Arts access to all communities particularly the marginalised
The programme Arts, Social Development and the Youth is working towards arts
access to all communities particularly the marginalised groups such as
children, women and people with disabilities, inmates in correctional centres
and other vulnerable groups.
The range of arts services includes art therapy and art making for social
and economic development. Through the support of the Art Therapy Centre, the
Department is funding the training of 20 community arts counsellors who will
graduate this year. With additional support during the current financial year,
12 more community arts counsellors will have their training upgraded to meet
South African Qualification Authority (SAQA) requirements and will graduate
this year as well. These graduates are currently doing their internships in
community facilities and we envisage their placements in Community Art
Centres.
In serving marginalised communities the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC)
is hopes to strengthen the working relationships and partnerships with the
departments of labour, health, education, correctional services, social
development and trade and industry as a shared social cluster mandate. Services
through arts access must be acknowledged and advocated at the highest level in
order to direct appropriate portions of resources into meaningful development
and roll out nationally.
We also hope to launch The National Youth Expressions Campaign within this
month so that it coincides with the 30th anniversary of the Soweto Student
Uprising. This campaign is targeting young people and would provide educational
and skills training opportunities and viable and sustainable employment
opportunities.
It is envisaged that accredited learnerships will be run in community art
centres and other sites of learning, situated within those targeted
communities. Learners will be expected to complete a nine-month programme that
will be assessed on an ongoing basis.
An art in correctional facilities is a programme which was introduced to
three facilities as a pilot project last year. As the pilot project was a great
success we are now planning, together with the Department of Correctional
Services and Department of Social Development to implement this project in 36
other identified correctional facilities.
The programme provides skills training and a creative outlet for the inmates
in the process of being rehabilitated.
We have also designed an early childhood development programme for children
under the age of five years, who are living with their mothers in correctional
facilities. At present there is no development programme to nurture them along
educational, emotional and psychological milestones. It is, therefore,
extremely important to provide these children with the normal wherewithal to
cope with schooling later so that they do not remain at risk. It also serves to
restore dignity to families.
Society has a vital role to play in the preservation of family whether it is
child headed households, single parenting or any other family structure and
through arts, universal positive human and family values can and should be
promoted.
The Department has introduced the cultural fluency campaign which addresses
the creation of a progressive society that understands and accepts cultural
differences that make up the nation and fosters tolerance and social dialogue.
The campaign speaks to issues of removing barriers to intercultural
competence.
The Department has recently also been seriously considering the role of
culture in human settlements. For us, the overarching challenge is to present
solutions that are not only practical but incorporate a heightened level of
social consciousness. This may be derived through the suggested approach,
cultural planning which has already taken root in other developing nations such
as Botswana and Cuba which looks at social inclusion, social integration,
creative expression, cultural diversity and of course funding.
A presentation of the concept was made to the social cluster and we hope
that, again, we will be able to work together with the departments of housing,
social development, environmental affairs and tourism and education.
3. Community Art Centres
The Community Arts Centres Programme is four years old this year.
The programme has grown in its status from its early and humble beginning
that was characterised by a vision entitled âTowards optimally functioning
Community Arts Centres in South Africa.â
This vision led to the development of many strategies that the Department
implemented that changed the face of community arts centres in South Africa and
since 2005 the Department has declared community arts centres as anchor
projects.
Today we are proud to report that through our bi-national agreement with the
Flemish Government we have come up with a new vision that promotes and position
community arts centres as institutions of development; âa network of vibrant
policy driven community arts centres that have the capacity for sustainable
delivery of appropriate services in terms of national, provincial and local
socio-economic development priorities and that effectively interact with
relevant development institutions and processes.â
We understand that critical to the sustainability of community art centres
is effective management and good programmes that addresses wider community
needs. In accordance with this new vision, we are continuously working hard to
ensure that the centres become relevant to government priorities.
The community arts centre programme was allocated a budget of R5 million in
the previous financial year. As part of the bi-national agreement with the
Flemish Government, the Department has made provision for R833 000,00 as a
contribution towards the development of community arts centres in the three
provinces of Limpopo, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.
The Department facilitated the establishment of a national forum of
community arts centres in 2004. Part of the budget went into strengthening the
institutional capacity of this structure to enable the Department to promote
access to and optimal participation in the community arts centres.
R2,2 million has been allocated to programmes in community arts centres to
ensure that there are programmes in music, craft, heritage, sewing running and
that these directly benefit member of the targeted communities. The Department
will continue to support some of the programmes to develop them into excellent
productions. These projects include district festivals, Mosadi wa Konokono
campaign performing arts and music training.
Investing in culture funding in community arts centres
The Department of Arts and Culture has already started funding arts, culture
and heritage projects that have the potential to grow as small businesses.
Projects range from music development, craft training and development,
jewellery making, leather works and many other cultural innovations. A total of
R7,451,200 has been invested into 15 community arts centres.
However, we must put in more resources and effort to unlock the creative
assets that are in the hands of our poor and disadvantaged people. The
Department is now aware of what we can be achieved through community arts
centres that are strategically situated where the less privileged and poor
people of our country live.
The current debates on underdevelopment, the second economy and what can be
done to fast track women and the poor out of the second economy, urgently
require us to rethink and afford these centres, the arts and culture as
important mechanisms to fight both underdevelopment and poverty in our
communities. The Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) document reads,
âArts and culture permeate all aspects of society and are integral parts of
social and economic life, as well as business and industry based upon the
arts.â
With this investment, we are moving in to demonstrate that given the
relevant and adequate support the community arts centres can help to narrow the
poverty gap and create more jobs for the communities where they are
located.
So in keeping up with the relevance of proper and up to date use of the
information and communication technologies and how these can enhance the
projects and outputs in and around community arts centres, the Department has
partnered with the University of Pretoria to establish, alongside Community Art
Centres, Women Entrepreneurial Skills Training Centres.
These centres will provide skills training and capacity building programmes
for women. Amongst others women will be trained in computer literacy,
entrepreneurship, business and financial management. To this end the Department
has invested R500 000,00 for the feasibility study by the University of
Pretoria. This initiative, we hope, will be piloted in Mthatha in the Eastern
Cape.
The DAC will also be working very closely with the Department of Trade and
Industry and Department of Communications to make this initiative a
success.
Following on from a conference held in Brazil last year which discussed the
issue of enhancing the creative economy and looking at shaping an International
Centre on Creative Industries, the department also hopes that this project
would plant the seed of shaping a South African Centre on Creative Industries.
The Centreâs role, it is envisaged, will serve as a knowledge bank and
clearinghouse for programmes and activities on creative industries. It will
also link up with the international centre.
The Department has set aside an amount of R1 million for the Community Arts
Centre Awards which will be held in this current financial year. The awards
project is intended to highlight the value of community arts centres in
development, create such awareness for the public and the private sectors and
to promote good governance and excellence in delivering artistic work.
The project will also assist us in generating information about best
practices that will be used by other centres and create networks.
We would like to see a significant improvement in community arts centres
because they represent a highly visible form of delivery by government.
4. Language in society
The focus in the National Language Services is on active implementation of
the Language Policy. To this end the mathematics, science and technology
dictionaries have been completed in all official languages. Nine Language
Research and Development Centres have been established, one for each of the
official indigenous African languages. Many translations of documents were done
both in the eleven official languages and in foreign languages.
The Telephone Interpreting Service for South Africa (TISSA) (which I
reported on last year) had an initial target 300 but found that more were
required as a result more than these are operating with the help of
Golola/Opticall service providers throughout the country.
The National Language Forum established a task team for the SA Language
Practitioners Council to conduct research on the âprofessionalisationâ of the
language profession. Their findings contributed vital information for the
development of the concept and policy documents.
Over 52 bursaries were awarded last year, 15 have passed the honours degree
and 35 are still in the system doing the masters degree. 34 new bursaries were
awarded to undergraduate students who are still in the system.
Cultural development
30 percent of the investing in culture funding has been channelled to the
Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Programme (ISRDP) and Urban Renewal
Programme (URP) nodes. This has contributed to the creation of about 800 jobs.
Planned projects for 2006 in music, crafts, design, books and publishing,
visual arts, film and television include the formation of a National Music Body
(NMB), the establishment of a national representative body for the crafters,
the launch of the literary heroes campaign, the drafting of the design and
visual arts policy and skills development for the youth in the field of
television and film studies.
At this point I wish to point out the challenges women face in the film
industry. There are fewer women in this industry and still fewer African women.
Many of them occupy non-creative positions, as coordinators, producers etc. The
few women, who are directors, face great challenges from their male
counterparts. They are often seen and used as tokens. With the greatest respect
they are filmmakers as much as their male counterparts and must be afforded the
same treatment and opportunities. Is somebody listening out there? This is
South Africa, where equality between women and men and between the races is
entrenched in the Constitution.
We need to, through National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), encourage
women to tell and direct their own stories. And before I forget, let me, once
more congratulate the women and men who were involved with the film âTsotsiâ
and made it successful to win the prestigious Oscar Award.
International cultural co-operation
President Mbeki has on numerous occasions laid emphasis on our
responsibility to achieve new and decisive advances in playing our role to
ensure the success of Southern African Development Community (SADC), the
African Union (AU) and its programme and the New Partnership for Africaâs
Development (NEPAD). He has also committed this country to continue engaging
the African challenges focusing on peace and democracy in the region and
further strengthen the AU.
As South Africans we are also informed by the principles and protocols of
the AU and its collaboration with a broad range of countries in the developing
world subscribing to the ethos that cultural diversity which is underpinned by
democratic values, social justice .and tolerance, is indeed indispensable for
social cohesion, peace and security at national and international levels.
The Department of Arts and Culture will be looking into issues pertaining to
the relationship between cultural diversity and peace making efforts on the
African continent. In this respect the Department has commissioned the Human
Sciences Research Council (HSRC) to investigate and develop a framework on the
relationship between cultural diversity and peace and security making in
Africa. This initiative seeks to look at promotion of cultural exchanges and
celebrate culture in all its diverse natures and seeks to better enhance the
quality of living for all Africans.
Conflict between states in Africa has decreased significantly over the past
decade but civil wars and conflicts within states persist in a number of
countries. Although these conflicts are often the result of competition over
resources and political power, the political factions often use cultural and
identity differences as a tool for mobilising support against opponents.
Cultural diversity which should be the riches of a country is used by these
leaders for positioning themselves in the struggle for political power.
Cultural differences are then used to identify others as inferior in the same
way colonisers psychologically and physically enforced the identity of others
on the natives. As such cultural differences can be a justification not only
for political dominance but also a justification for economic dominance.
Even when political peace is restored through international agreements,
underlying cultural tensions and seemingly incompatible cultural and religious
identities make it difficult to develop national unity. As a result
possibilities for return to conflict remain present. On the other hand
international experience shows that where cultural diversity is accepted as an
asset for the nation, peace initiatives become more entrenched in society and
societies become prosperous. Culture can thus play a constructive role in
building unity in post-confliction situations.
The examples from Mozambique, Angola and our own beautiful country offer
promising opportunities for Africa with its rich cultural history and cultural
traditions that promote social cohesion and peace, such as ubuntu. Our own
experience of reconciliation and nation building places an obligation on us to
share our new cultural riches with our sisters and brothers in African states
in conflict. As a first contribution DAC has requested the Human Sciences
Research Council (HSRC) together with relevant organisations from Africa and
abroad to do an investigation into the role of cultural diversity in peace
making in Africa. Such an investigation may deepen our understanding of the
constructive role of cultural diversity in reconciliation and post conflict
construction of both national and cultural identities.
Our sense of identity is rooted in our past and where we come from and
includes a heritage springing from the very cradle of civilisation, while on
the other hand we are bombarded by the onslaught of globalisation which
presents both threats to the preservation of this cultural heritage as well as
the challenge to promote and protect our cultural diversity.
For several years the âterm cultural diversityâ has been employed as a
concept that under girds certain intangible yet very important human rights.
Indeed it is enshrined in our own constitution along with the recognition of
the right of freedom of expression, the right to artistic creativity, freedom
of the media, the right of citizens of this country to use the language of
their choice and the right to participate in the cultural life of the country
as they choose.
Following the successful 33rd United Nations Educational Scientific and
Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) convention held last year, we intend to ratify
the UNESCO convention on the protection and promotion of diversity of cultural
expressions.
South Africa will host a Cultural Diversity Conference for Africa and the
Diaspora later this year.
South Africaâs participation in the India, Brazil, South Africa (IBSA)
trilateral activities include; music, craft and fashion exhibition in Brazil
and Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) conference in South Africa.
As the next country to host the Soccer World Cup in 2010, after Germany,
South Africa will have a cultural programme during the closure of the 2006
World Cup.
South Africa will become a member of the commonwealth foundation once the
processes are finalised during this financial year. This would then ensure
participation in grant making; partnerships; programme management; research and
innovation; awards, prizes and fellowships; networking and information
dissemination and policy and practice advocacy.
Heritage
The National Heritage Council (NHC), a two year old statutory body organised
a civil society engagement on world heritage as a build up to the World
Heritage Committee Meeting held in Durban, in July 2005. This was the first
time a national civil society engagement was held in South Africa. Both the
efforts of the council and the fact that the UNESCO meeting was held in
sub-Saharan Africa for the first time created a keen public awareness. The NHC
is currently conducting a nationwide audit of the heritage sector. This vital
information on the state of our heritage landscape makes it easier to
co-ordinate, transform, consolidate and develop policies that promote the
sector. The NHC is also engaged in broad consultations to develop the first
draft of the Heritage Transformation Charter by November 2006. A very important
project that the NHC is involved in is the rediscovery of the history of
Mpumalanga Province more than a billion years back. The first manuscript has
been handed to the province and preparations are underway for the publishing of
this work and also for its inclusion into the education curriculum. One of the
many projects the NHC is currently occupied with is the launch of the South
African Heritage Awards.
The SA - Mali project has entered a new phase of the construction of the new
library and archive buildings for the Ahmed Baba Institute in Timbuktu. A
highly successful exhibition of a selection of manuscripts from Timbuktu was
presented by the Department in conjunction with the Standard Bank at the
Standard Bank Gallery in Johannesburg. This is to be followed by a far more
extensive exhibition in 2006 â 2007 that will travel to several major centres
in the country. It is being prepared on behalf of the Department by Iziko
Museums in Cape Town.
UNESCO registers documentary heritage in the memory of the world. So far two
South African collections are registered, the Bleek Collection housed at the
National Library in Cape Town and the VOC Collection housed in the Cape Town
Archives Repository. South Africa will be hosting the eighth Meeting of the
International Advisory Council (IAC) of the memory of the world programme
during the second week of June 2007.
The first annual national conference on Oral History was held in 2004. At
the second annual conference held in 2005, an Oral History Association for
South Africa (OHASA) was established. This association will be hosting the
third annual conference this year in KwaZulu-Natal (2006).
Events and technical services
Our Departmentâs intervention is the beginning of the many steps towards
forging a growth path in our economy through a consolidated, governable and
globally competitive industry. The industry that will in the future,
significantly contribute to the growth and development of the country through
job creation, poverty reduction and profitable dynamic value adding cultural
industries.
The Department of Arts and Culture plays a pivotal role in forging
meaningful interventions and driving the transformation of various cultural
industries and related sectors, our role sufficed a need for the Departmentâs
partnership with the sectors to create a forum for knowledge exchange and to
take stock of where this hidden and almost non-existent but yet influential
industry is.
The Events Indaba
The first Events Indaba was mounted on the 29 - 30th September 2005 at
Gallagher Estate, Midrand, to highlight the challenges that confront the
technical production industry and to explore the issues of opening up economic
opportunities and the industry governance. The technical production industry is
made up of amongst others; academics, technicians, engineers, stage designers,
production companies, events organizer and managers, and corporate bodies.
The indaba created a fertile ground for retrospect and redress as far as the
make up and the composition in the industry, international speakers who were
invited to the indaba applauded the Department and the industry for this
initiative and gave landmarks and pointers, on how issues of common nature
could be addressed.
Robust topics like transformation, skills and human resource development,
health and safety were thoroughly trashed and outlined. And a way forward was
forged by the election of the events technical services task team to address
key challenging issues and the conference resolutions.
The task team
The Department will be inaugurating the 13 members on the 26 June 2006 in
Johannesburg who were elected at the events indaba to serve on the task team,
it is planned that at the inaugural function the projects for the task team
will be launched and a media brief will be hosted. Task team projects are
crucial themes which forms a tent-pole for the policy framework process. The
Task Team put-up an action plan which unfolds by having provincial conferences.
The purpose of the provincial conferences is to make sure that we get maximum
participation from all role players and stakeholder.
Feasibility study
A study was conducted on the eve of the events indaba, largely to inform the
indaba on legitimate topics for discussion. A feasibility study report was
handed to the Department and presented at the conference. The study was an
active research where most of the industry players were interviewed.
Fortunately for the Department was that the study was conducted by an economist
who was very clinical in articulating figures and numbers. Facts about the make
up and composition of the industry are very worrying factor. Transformation is
far from being realised in these sectors. The previously disadvantaged are
still marginalised. The industry is still white and male dominated and the
status quo remains.
Activities 2005. Performing arts and technical services
1. Successfully hosted the Events Indaba for the events and technical
services sectors.
2. Have done a feasibility study on the events and technical services
sector.
3. A task team was elected to drive the policy process and address critical
issues raised by the conference for the events and technical services
industry.
Project 2005
Events Indaba. âEvents and Technical Services Conferenceâ 29 â 30th September
2005 Gallagher Estate.
Objective
The Deputy Minister gave a keynote address at the conference. To create a
platform for all events and technical services role players together with
government to deliberate and address key challenging issues in the sectors.
More importantly to establish a task team to co-ordinate the process for policy
frame work.
Budget
R850 400,00
Activities 2006
Projects 2006
1. The events and technical services task team inauguration 19 June 2006
Objective
To host the events and technical services conferences in provinces as
consultative process to inform the policy formulation process to derive all
role players into the task team which would address the conferences
resolutions. With this process prepare a consolidated report back which 2007
events indaba
2. Events and Technical Services National road-shows and conference
2006-2007.
Objective
To organise a splash inaugural function this will encapsulate the launch of the
task team projects and the media conference. Task team projects forms a tent
pole for the policy framework process.
Budget
R2 996 400,00
In conclusion, I wish to once again emphasise the importance of the cultural
dimension in social and economic development. I have attempted to demonstrate
the important role played by heritage, creativity and identity and why it is
important that theses should be preserved and developed through coherent,
sustainable programmes which must be fully integrated in the national
development strategy.
Sometimes I get the feeling that we are not communicating this message very
clearly and that is probably why the budget allocated to the Department of Arts
and Culture is always inadequate. I would request that parliament reconsiders
our budget for the next financial year in the light of the information I have
attempted to convey today.
I would like to thank the members of the Portfolio Committee on Arts and
Culture and in particular the ANC Study Group, for their support, their
diligence and their patience with the Ministry and the Department. I trust that
once a Chairperson for the Committee is appointed they will go into
overdrive.
I also wish to thank Minister Pallo Jordan for his guidance and support, the
DG and Senior Management and all those officials from Director level downwards,
who have had to put with me.
Thank you to the Ministry staff for their support, but I wish to specially
that Mrs Melanie Hess, for putting up with me and supporting me under sometimes
very trying circumstances. Her shoulders are often wet from my tears but she
has be a pillar of strength throughout my time as a Deputy Minister.
Thank you all for your attention.
This year in the âage of hopeâ we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of
the Womenâs March against the imposition of passes; we pay tribute to the many
women and acknowledge the courageous role that women have played in the history
of our country.
Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
2 June 2006
