of Arts and Culture
8 June 2007
Madam Speaker
Ministers and Deputy Ministers
MECs of Arts and Culture
Honourable Members
Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of our Arts, Culture and Heritage
Institutions
Heads of statutory bodies
Directors-General and officials
Comrades and friends
Today, I would like to preface my speech with some reflection and pay
tribute to the history and heritage of our nation. Madam Speaker, I would like
to take this opportunity to remind the House and the South African population
at large, that on Thursday, 21 July 2007, we will commemorate the tragic death,
which occurred 40 years ago, of the first African Nobel Peace Laureate and
President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1952 until 1967, Nkosi
Albert Luthuli. Nkosi Luthuli is recognised internationally as an outstanding
visionary, leader, teacher and proponent of human rights and justice for
all.
He has been described by many as a "profound thinker", a person of "powerful
logic" and a person of "lofty principles". Today, the legacy of Nkosi Luthuli
is celebrated throughout South Africa and throughout the African continent and
the world. Madam Speaker, when I delivered my budget vote speech on the 18 May
2005, I focused my contributions within the context of the 50th anniversary of
the Freedom Charter which proclaims that 'the doors of learning and culture
shall be opened to all.' I attempted to outline the programmes and projects
that were being undertaken by the Department of Arts and Culture towards the
realisation of that declaration. I said then that the budget of 2005/06 was
"about this mandate and the contract we have entered into with the people of
South Africa to realise the full potential of arts and culture in social and
economic development, to nurture creativity and innovation and to preserve and
promote the rich and diverse heritage of our nation."
In my Budget Vote speech last year, I sought to contextualise my input
within the framework of the 50th anniversary of Women's Anti-Pass march. Over
20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings in 1956, demanding a better life
for all South Africans and a better world. Even today, women are determined to
work hard to improve the quality of life of all our people as demonstrated by
the 'mosadi wa konokono' project of our department.
I also touched on the challenges of addressing poverty and underdevelopment
and the critical role and contribution of arts and culture in this area. I
outlined the programmes and projects of our portfolio pointing out that,
without the core which defines our humanity, (and that is, our culture and
heritage) it would be impossible to achieve our objectives of halving poverty
and unemployment by 2014.
This year, Madam Speaker, is for us a year of policy and legislative review.
It is the time when we evaluate the efficacies of our policies and legislation
as well as the impact of the implementation of such policies and legislation
over the past decade. It is an opportunity for us to reflect, assess and
identify areas for further improvements and consolidation. We have entered a
phase, in our national democratic revolution, which seeks to define the
character and content of our nation. This search for character and content
emanates, not from doubting or questioning our Constitutional dispensation, but
rather, it comes from the realisation that our Constitutional framework bestows
upon us as South Africans a right to enjoy our cultural freedoms and
diversity.
Honourable Members, in the past decade, our policies in this sector have
mainly focused on restructuring of the funding framework for the arts, ensuring
access to financial resources allocated by the state. In this regard, the
government has, to a large extent, succeeded in ensuring that the previously
marginalised artists and art forms benefit equally. The overall budget
allocated to the arts, at least over the last ten years, bears testimony to
this fact. The establishment of statutory bodies such as the National Film and
Video Foundation and the national Arts Council have played a significant role
in ensuring that this goal is achieved. The corporate sector has also played a
significant role in various initiatives in funding of the arts. Some of these
initiatives were organised in collaboration with Business Arts South Africa
(BASA) which is funded by our department. Our associated institutions, such as
the playhouses have equally ensured that their stages portray the mosaic of
South African art forms. Our international framework of cultural agreements has
also assisted us in securing the much needed resources to ensure equity in the
funding of the arts.
The success of this framework, however, has had unintended consequences. It
has, in some quarters, rightly or wrongly, created a perception that defines
government's role as only that of providing funds and in return, simply to
enjoy the performances and entertainment. Taken to the extreme, such
perceptions may encourage a culture of not accounting for government funding
received. That approach cannot be sustainable! Another challenge continues to
be, that as a nation, we often undervalue or fail to recognise the power of
culture and heritage as a foundation for nation-building, the formulation of a
new South African identity and social inclusion as well as a tool for moulding
the creative, critical and thinking mind.
In his State of the Nation Address, President Mbeki remarked that "the issue
of our variety of identities and the overarching sense of belonging to South
Africa needs to be better canvassed across society in a manner that strengthens
our unity. Further, we are duty bound to ask the question, have we all fully
internalised our responsibility in building social cohesion and promoting a
common sense of belonging, reinforcing the glue that holds our nation
together?"
Madam Speaker, it is my humble submission that such common sense of
belonging lies squarely within our shared history, our diverse culture and our
rich heritage. Our languages, our folklore, our songs, our literature and even
our dance forms and architecture point to a shared landscape which is
specifically South African. The beauty of all these blessings manifest itself
in our homes, theatres, films, sport fields, classrooms, weddings, places of
worship, including work places. It is deeply embedded in all of us South
Africans. Our commonly held desire to be a caring, sharing and affirming nation
is all embedded in this common heritage of our humanity ubuntu bethu!
We have, over the years, sought to understand and explain this humanity.
But, on the other hand, prejudice has always sought to distort this beauty that
is within all of us as South Africans. Prejudice has continuously sought to
deny us the common sense of belonging which must be the foundation for national
unity.
Arts, culture and heritage are an integral part of our lives, encompassing our
spiritual, intellectual and emotional aspects. They must, therefore, must
assist us in the fight against the ills within our communities which manifest
themselves through prejudice, racism, violence, sexism, xenophobia and other
ugly phenomena.
We have witnessed the beauty of our humanity in the songs of Mirriam Makeba,
the plays of Athol Fugard, the paintings of Gerard Sekoto, the sculptures of
Noria Mabasa, the photographs of Peter Magubane, the writings of Nadine
Gordimer, Miriam Tladi, Antjie Krog and many others. They are all reminding us
of our humanity, and encouraging us to celebrate our common sense of belonging,
our South Africanness! Madam Speaker, it is still my humble submission that our
arts, culture and heritage hold the key to our social cohesion.
The programmes that have been outlined by the Minister point to the fact
that over the next two years, one of our key areas of focus will be social
cohesion.
The Minister has also mentioned the department's initiatives to facilitate the
building of community libraries. This is one area where the distortions of arts
and culture infrastructure, as executed by apartheid government, can be clearly
seen. It is unthinkable that a township like Mdantsane, which is the second
largest township after Soweto, does not have a decent library to cater for the
needs of the schooling and general population of the township.
Mdantsane Township, which was designated by our President as an Urban Renewal
Node, lacks the basic amenities and social infrastructure. There is no cinema,
no adequate recreational facilities and no suitably equipped gymnasium, for
example. Instead, there is a very small community arts centre which can hardly
provide adequate services; the small Empolweni Cinema, which was built before
1994, is now being utilised as a Church; on a centrally situated site where a
Civic Centre once stood a supermarket has now been built. There is an urgent
need to reverse this situation so that we can invest in the minds of all our
communities. Investing in the literacy goals through provision of library
services will, in the long term, contribute towards poverty alleviation and
eradication and lead to reductions in dependency on the fiscus.
Madam Speaker, we are collaborating with the Department of Housing in
shaping a strategy and action plan to ensure that our communities, particularly
those that are at the lower scales of income, are settled in stimulating
environments where the community can, for example, access a multiple of
services for their library needs, for their artistic fulfilment and creative
development, etc. We must, therefore, ensure that we invest in the shaping and
development of well-balanced citizens.
Last year we participated at the 10th Venice Architectural Biennale. The
South African exhibition, titled "Between Ownership and Belonging" focused on
how and by what agencies South African cities are, or continue to be,
transformed out of their racially segregated past and how, in present times,
these are being integrated. Copies of this exhibition were viewed by members of
the executive during the January Cabinet Lekgotla and the original exhibition
is presently in the United Kingdom (UK).
The exhibitions focused on the following sites where interventions have been
made that contribute to social inclusion and nation-building:
* Red Location Museum of Struggle (Nelson Mandela Bay Metro)
* District Six Redevelopment (Cape Town)
* Constitutional Hill (Johannesburg)
* Walter Sisulu Square of Dedication (Kliptown, Soweto)
* Phillipi Public Transport Interchange (Cape Town)
* Faraday Market and Transport Interchange (Johannesburg)
* Warwick Junction Urban Renewal Project (eThekwini)
We hope that when this exhibition returns to South Africa it will stimulate
discussion and debate around the transformation of our cities and that such
debates will contribute to the process of bringing together our previously
segregated communities. In his 2007 budget vote speech, the Minister of Finance
informed Parliament that "the economy continued to expand at a robust pace of
4,9% in 2006, generating new jobs, broadening the consumer base and providing
impetus for rapid growth in investment." He went on to say that "Economic
growth is projected to average just over five percent per annum over the next
three years."
Honourable Members, the arts, culture and heritage sector is poised to
contribute to the economic growth of our country by linking heritage
development and preservation to sustainable tourism initiatives. Working
together with the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, we are
identifying and developing heritage trails and heritage sites for nomination
onto the World Heritage list. We have managed to turn around heritage to a
point where it no longer is viewed as an underperforming asset. In this regard
we hope to improve our collaboration with municipalities so as to mobilise,
educate and involve communities in these development initiatives. These
initiatives should be incorporated in the Integrated Development Plans of
municipalities so that the municipalities can consider them for budget
purposes.
The creative industries have been identified in Accelerated and Shared
Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA) as one of the key areas of
intervention which can see us achieve the desirable goals of massifying the
creation of job opportunities and greater economic growth in our country.
Creative industries are knowledge and labour intensive. They foster innovation.
Consequently, we are presently working with the Department of Communications on
the Information Society and Development strategy. We are seeking to leverage
information communication technology (ICT) for the development of our creative
industries. In this approach the Department of Communications is charged with
developing the infrastructure for the ICT and Arts and Culture will be
responsible for developing the content for that ICT. These initiatives will not
only bring sophistication in our creative industries, but will enable us to
propel our creative industries much faster into the age of modern technology.
It is my fervent prayer, my hope and my dream, that one day, in the not too
distant future, we will see a substantial investment into our film industry, by
our government and the private sector, because I do believe that this industry
has the potential of taking the economy of our country on a much higher
trajectory whilst, at the same time, it absorbs hundreds from the ranks of the
unemployed.
Madam Speaker, I think that the greatest challenge in creative industries
lies in the fact that as a country, we have not measured or not accurately
measured the contribution made by the creative economy to our Gross Domestic
Product (GDP). Perhaps, if we did, the figures that were tabulated by Minister
Manuel might look a little different. Statistics SA need to develop statistical
indicators for data collection and measurement of the economic impact of
creative industries. There are models and frameworks that have been developed
by countries throughout the world (for example, United Kingdom and United
States) which can help us shape our own tool which will be specifically South
African. The department has already entered into a partnership with the British
Council to assist us in the mapping of our cultural industries.
Skills shortage across occupations has been identified as one of the
challenges facing our country. The arts, culture and heritage sector is no
exception. It is faced with the challenge of ageing skills (mainly white and
male). The first intake of interns was in 2005 â 2006. The department is
currently in the process of placing approximately 100 interns in some of its
associated institutions on a year-long programme.
Madam Speaker, I hope I have managed to share with the House our vision of a
caring, sharing and affirming South African society which must be in touch with
its 21st century role to lead at home and abroad. I also hope that I have given
examples that show how cross cutting the issues of arts, culture and heritage
are, in all of government's portfolios. As long as we are planning and working
with human beings, we simply cannot run away from what is regarded as the core
of humanity and spirituality and that is culture.
To achieve these goals we will not shy away from investing in our people
through training, skills development and other initiatives. Madam Speaker, the
best asset and wealth of our country lies within our people. In this financial
year we will initiate a process of conducting skills audit in all our sectors
so that we can improve the capacity of the arts, culture and heritage sector to
make our nation a happy and prosperous nation - A winning nation, indeed!
I would like to thank Minister Pallo Jordan for his unceasing support and
guidance as well as every member of staff in the Ministry for their support and
encouragement.
I would also like to thank all the MECs responsible for arts and culture as
well as their Head of Departments (HODs). You have been a pillar of strength to
me. Without you we would not be able to deliver our services in the provinces.
Thank you for being so patient with me. Thank you also to the Mayors and
Councillors who have been working in partnership with us in a number of
projects. However, we hope that our department will be afforded an opportunity
to establish a working relationship with the rest of the 284 municipalities,
especially in light of the forthcoming 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup.
Thank you also to the members of the Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture
and the ANC Study Group. We have had very interactive and vibrant sessions. I
just hope that the powers that be will finally decide to confirm the
appointment of a Chairperson for the committee. Finally, let me repeat what I
said earlier that social cohesion and social justice are central in the
building of democracy and ensuring sustainable socio-economic development.
Therefore, policies and programmes aimed at ensuring social inclusion and
integration of all communities and individuals, respect for the diverse
cultures, democratic accountability and redressing inequities of the past are
critical in building social cohesion and social justice.
I thank you.
Issued by: Department of Arts and Culture
8 June 2007
Source: Department of Arts and Culture (http://www.dac.gov.za)
