Programme Director, DDG Themba Phiri
Director-General of the Department of Communications, Ms Rosey Sekese
Director-General of the Department of Arts and Culture, Mr Sibusiso Xaba
Acting CEO, National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa, Dr Harold Wesso
CEO of the National Film and Video Foundation, Ms Zama Mkosi
CEO of the Media Development and Diversity Agency, Mr Lumko Mtimde
Leadership of various companies and organisations
CEOs and Directors of Companies
Government officials
Ladies and gentlemen
Good morning and welcome to the Creative Industries Workshop. This is another landmark engagement. My special appreciation and gratitude goes out to all of you for joining us today. It is fitting that we meet during OR Tambo Month, which has seen various activities to celebrate the life of the former ANC President’s life.
In 1960, following the Sharpeville Massacre, Ntate Tambo left South Africa as a little-known lawyer. His mission was to tell the world the true story of South Africa under apartheid. When Tambo first began lobbying for international recognition, Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana was about the only head of state that acknowledged him. However, over the years he established ANC missions in 27 countries.
Today our country faces similar challenges. In the wake of the Marikana Massacre the world is reluctant to believe in the vision of a new South Africa, one that can overcome the trials and tribulations before us. It is up to us to convince them otherwise. So I am glad to be here this morning.
Our work goes some way to building a South Africa that we can all be proud of.
The Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) sector is an industry facing rapid change and requiring proactive measures. Developments in the ICT sector affect all quarters of society. The creative industries are not immune to this phenomenon.
I would like to draw your attention to recent events that have been convened by the Department of Communications in the past few months.
These are the National ICT Colloquium, the ICT Indaba, Community Radio Indaba and the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) soft launch (Proof of Concept), which was hosted few weeks ago. Next week we host a broadband workshop with the industry to finalise our plans for broadband. These for me, all point out to the commitment by the department to ensure that the ICT sector is transformed and developed.
Today’s workshop complements these events and brings the creative industries on par with other sectors. ICTs are now impacting on this sector in a way that has never been seen before. According to a 2010 United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report, the creative industries played a critical role in cushioning the world economy during the recession.
The report states that during the recession period of 2008 when the global economy was in crisis, the world exports of creative industries continued to grow.
World exports of creative goods and services reached a growth of $592 billion in 2008, more than double that of the year 2002, indicating a growth of 14 % over a 6 year period. This is confirmation that these industries hold great potential for developing countries. One only has to witness the phenomenal growth of Bollywood and Nollywood to gain some idea of their potential impact in developing countries. These industries have created billion dollar enterprises and international and African superstars.
Importantly they have given the cultures and people of the developing world a voice that has reverberated across the globe. They have an edge over European countries due to their unique content in the area of creative industries.
Whilst a promising picture is being painted here, the same report contends that in the list of the world’s 10 leading exporters of creative goods there is no single African country. The report further laments that Africa contributed only 0.6% to the world export of creative goods in 2008.
It further argues that the creative industries in Africa are generally fragmented. As a result production, distribution and marketing is not coherent. Despite the fact that Africa has rich cultural traditions and heritage, there has been minimal commercialisation of African cultural and artistic creations in both the domestic and foreign markets.
There is a lack of industries in Africa to support natural talent. I do believe that the global status quo cannot be left as is. South Africa and the rest of African continent has much to offer.
According to the Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa's entertainment industry is valued at around R7.4 billion, with film and television generating more than R5.8 billion in economic activity each year.
The recent economic impact assessment study commissioned by the Cape Film Commission indicated that, the industry has a direct annual turnover of more than R2.65 billion and contributes an indirect annual turnover of more than R3.5 billion to the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
One of the paramount goals of the South African government is to ensure that jobs are created.
Judging by the statistics as indicated above, this sector holds vast potential for job creation and can contribute substantially in reducing unemployment. This potential has not gone unnoticed by the international markets. With the recently released movie Dredd 3D shot entirely in Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa is becoming the location of choice.
Clint Eastwood's Invictus (2009), with Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman, Blood Diamond (2006), with Leonardo DiCaprio, and Lord of War (2005), with Nicolas Cage are some of the movies shot in South Africa.
According to Time Magazine, versatility, convenience of breath-taking locations, sometimes within minutes of each other, and frugal costs are some of the reasons South Africa is becoming the movie-making destination of choice. And with Hollywood stars such as Forest Whitaker and Orlando Bloom currently running through the streets of Cape Town, shooting their latest movie, Zulu, it is time we South Africans took full advantage of the promise that creative industries hold.
Ladies and gentlemen,
New Media in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) creative economy report has been seen as the driving force behind creative industries. Amongst roles the new media played in the sector:
- it is the creative product itself expressed in the digital forms such as software, animation, and interactive products like video games
- it is also utilised as an enabling tool for marketing and distribution of other creative products such as music, films, books and news, or creative services such as advertising and architectural services.
Furthermore, in recent years ICTs have increasingly contributed to economic and social development. The impact of ICTs in the creative industries has grown as digitisation and convergence have provided new opportunities for innovation and businesses. The digital era is providing opportunities for marketing and distribution in the creative industries.
Even though statistics are reflecting a bright picture with regards to the contribution of the sector in the economy, serious challenges still remain. Among these are:
- training and capacity building require urgent attention
- there is a huge shortage of animation practitioners especially from the previously disadvantaged groups
- lack of transformation in the multimedia sub-sector
- the lack of audience development as too few South Africans attend theatre or films
- low investment and a fear of risk-taking: investor confidence in the South African Film and Television industry is low
- a lack of training provision and an absence of standards development
- there is no national film school and training is mainly on the job.
This snapshot of the status does provide us with a glimpse of the issues in the sector. The main purpose of this workshop is to understand how far we have traversed with regard to these and other issues. It also provides us with the opportunity to identify strategies to try and resolve some of these issues.
As you know, the mandate of the Department of Communications is to create a conducive environment for the ICT sector to thrive through policies and legislation. However, developing policies is not enough to ensure that the industry is supported especially those utilising ICTs as a platform as well as medium for marketing and distribution.
It is then prudent, that the department also explores tangible programme to support and ensure that it contributes to the implementation of its own policies. The Local Digital Content Strategy is one area where we can provide guidance and assistance.
This is even more urgent as the department is driving a massive awareness campaign on Broadcasting Digital Migration (BDM) or DTT (Digital Terrestrial Television) as it is also known. The digital signal is expected to be switched on in December 2012. One of the aims of the broadcasting digital migration policy is the development of the creative industries.
In an all-digital environment where there is the availability of multiple channels, the generation of local content is key to ensure that all available channels are filled with content.
The focus of this workshop is to understand the status of the sector in order to identify relevant programmes to support emerging content generators and creators. In addition, within the DTT environment it is paramount to capacitate content creators for readiness to exploit opportunities to be provided by multiple channels.
It is also government’s intention to support emerging content creators to participate in the mainstream of content creation from film-making, to documentary and general content generation. This is especially important to me in that I'm currently representing the Department of Communications on the Inter-Ministerial Task Team on Creative Industries.
Directors-General and CEOs,
Last week the Department of Communications participated in the 18th World Congress on Information Technology through its international team.
South Africa won two awards at the World Congress on Information Society Youth Awards held in Montreal, Canada. The contest received over 1 200 applications from more than 120 countries around the world. The Awards focused on young people using the internet and mobile to put the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) into action. The many different digital projects and initiatives were a driving force behind social entrepreneurship.
With 7 out of the winners from Africa the Awards confirm the trend that Africa's tech youth is number one in terms of e-content creation worldwide.
The main reason for this is that it's harder to look away when you are confronted with MDG issues as part of your everyday life.
The two winners from South Africa were Moraba and Funda. Moraba is a mobile game targeting young people that informs and mobilises them against gender-based violence. Funda is an online program that puts together educational resources for students and teachers in South Africa. This shows us that the capabilities are right here in our country. We just need to provide the mechanisms to unleash this ability.
The deliberations taking place here over the next two days will go a long way in crafting a way forward on how best to capacitate and support emerging players in the creative industries.
Distinguished guests,
I must point out, that this is a first round of consultations amongst a series of engagements we are planning to convene, until we find each other on the appropriate programme to take forward.
All these efforts will contribute immensely in addressing the needs and the aspirations of emerging players in the industry. I trust that you will put your heads together to ensure South Africa not only make an African mark, but a global footprint in the creative industries. Last week our Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan reminded us that:
“As South Africans, we need to dig deep into our reservoir of goodwill, ingenuity and resilience to find new ways of implementing our plans, creating jobs and generating inclusive growth.”
This should be our mainstay as we look to forging a new path for the creative industries, in the face of global and domestic challenges. The words of “O R,” as he was fondly known to close comrades, comes to mind. This is what he said at the opening address to the ANC’s 48th National Conference in Durban on 2 July 1991, at a time when our country faced seemingly insurmountable problems:
“I wish to make a few observations: we did not tear ourselves apart because of lack of progress at times. We were always ready to accept our mistakes and to correct them. Above all we succeeded to foster and defend the unity of the ANC and the unity of our people in general. Even in bleak moments, we were never in doubt regarding the winning of freedom. We have never been in doubt that the people`s cause shall triumph.”
Let’s make movie magic.
