North West Premier Mme Thandi Modise has assured the arts industry that her administration does not want to neglect them. Premier Modise was responding to an allegation that the strategy currently being followed by the North West Department of Sport, Arts and Culture and the Mmabana Foundation is side lining and disadvantaging arts produces who are essentially the arts and culture industry.
The meeting held by Premier Modise and MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Tebogo Modise with writers, dramatists, film-makers, arts intellectuals, visual artists, arts managers and other practitioners in Mahikeng on Wednesday afternoon was a follow-up to complaints raised by arts producers to the Public Protector, Advocate Thuli Madonsela recently during her provincial road show.
Presenting on behalf of the group, Tswagare Namane said that it is their conviction that in this democracy it is their right to participate in the governance of their industry and proposed a policy conference as a platform that will inform the Mmabana turnaround strategy and address concerns and challenges facing them as arts producers.
“Some of us get hot under the collar when we talk about arts and culture because they define who are. We want to market the province as an artistic destination and a happy province and open up for artists even those out of the province.
Mmabana Foundation is supposed to be at the pinnacle of directing talent identification and development of arts in the North West Province. It should not be an employment agency that spends 81% of its budget on staff salaries but an institution that is supposed to add to the identity of the province,” highlighted Premier Modise in responding to the proposals.
The Premier said that artists have a role to play towards informing the Mmabana Turnaround strategy and reviving the moral regeneration and also proposed that a provincial art gallery needs to be established to showcase and give expression to the work of artists.
“Lack of pride in ourselves is reflected in the pittance we pay our artists. Artists should be paid within 30 days after delivering services” added Premier Modise in responding to complain that local artists are offered little for their services to sustain themselves.
The meeting resolved to reconvene in two weeks’ time to follow through on proposals made. Mahikeng FM Community Radio Station was singled out as the only Radio Station in the province that strives to promotes local artists by playing their songs on its programmes.
Forty-two year old Tonic Dichaba, a former fine arts lecturer at North West University, painter and graphic artist welcomed the Premier’s proposal for establishment of an art gallery and said that it would serve to promote recogntiion of artists and create employment for those responsible for its upkeep.
Establishment of art cooperatives and resuscitation of fine arts department by the University of the North West was also mooted.
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Government does not want to neglect artists
Province
