It gives me great pleasure to speak at the launch of M-Net's Magic in Motion. Thank you, M-Net for inviting me.
I wish to acknowledge:
The M-Net Executive Management team,
Members of the film and television industry,
Members of the media,
Invited guests
And most importantly, the 12 M-Net Magic in Motion interns
M-Net's investment of one billion rands annually to ensure the preservation and development of the film and television industry across Africa is something that we must applaud. It represents an on-going commitment to local content development. We must affirm and congratulate M-Net for making this commitment.
Today there are 12 interns that are selected for the inaugural Magic in Motion Academy. The beaming smiles across their faces express their achievement in being selected. There is eager anticipation of what the next 12 months will hold for them.
They are the class of 2015. And we applaud them. They will receive coaching, training, mentoring, assessments, access to specialists as well as benefitting from the experience of top professionals in the industry. Now that is an exciting 12 month journey to be a part of.
I would like to outline a few key points on why I think this initiative is important.
Skills development is critical if we want to see more youth employed. This is not a hand-out but a hand-up.
Too many youth languish without skills and are unable to move along the employment trajectory. Our youth unemployment rates are tragically high. The recent report by Statistics South Africa on Employment, Skills and Unemployment in South Africa 1994-2014 points to an overall progress that has been made over the last two decades.
A closer look at the numbers especially amongst black African youth aged 20-34 tells a disturbing story. It suggests that there is a generation of Black Africans who through the period of twenty years lost out in acquiring skills whilst their white and Indian counterparts made major inroads in skills acquisition.
Amongst Black Africans the skills decreased by 3% whilst amongst white and Indians it grew well above 24%. The report pleads for continued and increased investment in skills development as a pathway to employment.
We not only have to address the current backlogs of skills deficiency but we also have to project and plan for the skills needed to drive the future. While addressing the backlogs, we have to create opportunities for young people.
The digital migration process promises more channels. Consumers will demand specialised channels for content driven towards youth, children, women and vernacular languages to name but a few. This holds exciting possibilities for us as a country. But this also points to the growing demand for local content and the requisite skilled personnel all across the value chain to meet this increased demand.
The investment into local content development must increase local content output. It must increase enterprise development in the local film and television industry. Opportunities for youth owned enterprises in this sector will grow and young people must grab these opportunities.
Through the Youth Employment Accord, the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA), Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA) and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) have set up a fund, capitalised at R2.7 billion. The sole purpose of this fund is to fund youth owned enterprises. I encourage young people to apply to this fund for the establishment and sustaining of youth owned enterprises in the film and television industry across the value chain.
The Department of Arts and Culture speaks about the Mzansi Golden Economy where arts and culture are repositioned and make an increased contribution to economic growth and job creation. Hollywood in the USA, Bollywood in India and Nollywood in Nigeria makes a steady contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) of these countries. Hollywood, Bollywood, Nollywood?
I am reluctant to say Sollywood. But maybe MZANSIWOOD will follow in the same path. A growing, thriving local industry developing skills, creating jobs and making a sustained contribution to economic growth.
There is an African proverb that says: "Until the lion has his or her own storyteller, the hunter will always have the best part of the story”. When a hunter brings home a lion it may very well be due to the hunter's skills. But it may as well be due to pure luck. The lion might have been sleeping or injured.
No matter in what circumstances the lion is killed, a hunter will always tell a story that makes the hunter shine. Is the hunter telling the true story or just bragging? No one will ever know. The story is never complete until one hears from both sides. The one who does not have the voice is often the loser.
Too often our stories are told for us. In fact these stories are often not our own stories. They are largely American or European or twisted to suit the outside world. They have little relevance to our experienced reality. And we consume them daily. They may have their place in our society, but we need local content that resonates with our lived experiences. Content that shape and reaffirm our cultural identities.
Content that projects the images we can identify with. Content that poses difficult questions around national identity and social cohesion. Content that forces us as a nation to grapple with. Content that stimulates debate in our communities, in our workplaces, in our places of worship, in our schools, in our bedrooms, around our dinner tables, taxi ranks, bus stations and yes, even in Parliament. After all, we have much to offer to the world.
Films such as Tsotsi, Yesterday and District 9 have graced movie theatres and film festivals the world over. These films and many more have been flying the South African flag high and making us proud in the process. There is a locally told stories, about Nelson Mandela, JB Marks, Moses Kotane and many others. Not just political stories but also stories about how township businesses thrived and how South Africans relate to another. I am putting that challenge to these young people.
As the Deputy Minister in The Presidency, I am responsible for Youth Development as part of my overall responsibilities. I am a firm believer in young people as agents for social change.
Recently The Presidency released the National Youth Policy 2015-2020 (NYP) for public comment. The NYP brings greater focus to youth development and its policy proposals are anchored around:
1. Economic Participation
2. Education, Skills and Second Chances
3. Health Care and Combating Substance Abuse
4. Nation Building and Social Cohesion
In the past months I have been meeting with youth organisations and young people from all across the country, listening to what they have to say about the draft National Youth Policy. I invite you to make comments on this draft policy. There is nothing for young people without the involvement of young people.
South Africa has a rich history of young people making their voices heard, in fact often demanding that their voices be heard. Young people have an important contribution to make to the current and future trajectory of this country.
The National Development Plan calls for this active citizenry. Through the Magic in Motion Academy, M-Net has provided another platform for young people's voices to be heard through the development of local content.
To the 12 selected interns here today, I wish you all the best in your year long journey. Grab hold of this opportunity and apply yourself. Give off your best.
I implore you, in fact I challenge you. Make your youth voices heard; tell your stories; tell our stories; capture our imaginations; take us on journeys that we would have never embarked on; probe us; make us feel uncomfortable at times; demand a response from us; challenge us.
And make magic for Mzansi.
I thank you!
