Speech by the Minister of Arts And Culture, Hon. Nathi Mthethwa, on the occasion of the Budget Vote, Parliament of RSA, Cape Town
Chairperson,
Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Honourable MM Sotyu,
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee,
Honourable Members,
Chairpersons and Chief Executives of Public Entities,
Distinguished guests,
Members of the Media,
Ladies and gentlemen,
I want to extend my warmest greetings to all of you present, it gives me great joy to appear before parliament to present my budget vote and also to interact with you the representatives of our people.
The centenary of Madiba and Ma Sisulu is celebrated under the theme: Be the legacy.
Had President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela and Ma Nontsikelelo Albertina Sisulu lived they would have turned hundred years old this year.
This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the untimely passing of that patriot and a combatant for African Liberation, Professor Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe.
The inscription found at the entrance of Solomon Mahlangu Freedom College in Mazimbu, Tanzania properly captures what these patriots stood for;
“Ours was not for personal glory nor distinction, but for a noble cause of our time – the liberation of the people of South Africa and the entire humanity,”
These giants of our country lived because they had surrendered their very being to the people. They lived because their very being embodied love, an idea, a hope, an aspiration, a vision of our collective destination.
Talking about our giants and legends, we want to congratulate the Ladysmith Black Mambazo for their 5th Grammy Award, which is supported by 18 Grammy Awards nominations. This group, under Professor Joseph Shabalala has held the South African flag high across the globe. He has multiplied the South African heritage to all of humanity and has imparted his indigenous knowledge to younger generations. This is our identity, our culture, our heritage and we are not mimicking anyone about it, but the world is learning from us. They are still abroad but here represented by the group Manager, Mr Xolani Majozi. The department commits that it will support the Ladysmith Black Mambazo Mobile Academy.
The road to our democracy in South Africa is drenched in blood and punctuated by centuries of racial and economic subjugation, discrimination and oppression, with many ordinary South Africans, especially the youth, making the ultimate sacrifice in the quest for freedom and democracy.
Today, South Africa is a thriving and bourgeoning constitutional democracy as a result of the incalculable sacrifices made. Our freedom was never free or given to us as a free gift. Others perished as a result.
It is important also to note and acknowledge the glaring reality that South Africa’s freedom would remain hollow for majority of the population, predominantly black, if they remain on the fringes of the economy.
Radical socio-economic transformation is a vehicle that will lead South Africa into a type of society envisioned in the NDP.
Branch: Institutional Governance
Nation building and Social Cohesion
South Africa was conquered by force and ruled by force up until in 1994. However, this does not justify any form of brutality, hence the focus on nation building and social cohesion. In confronting the pernicious ideology of racism, the department has focused on the following pillars:
- Ensuring education of our people against racism and most importantly the centrality of building a non-racial society.
- Asserting mobilisation of the people against racism and its manifestations through incidents of racial spats.
- Regulating unwanted behavior that is racist although acknowledging that attitude cannot be regulated.
The above-mentioned pillars facilitate and inform many efforts of the department to undertake social cohesion programmes. It is in this context that the department has developed a strong partnerships with the Department of Justice to ensure that racism is declared a criminal conduct. The successful convictions of racists in the recent past is indicative of this initiative. The education of the people against racism will serve in many ways to lift the social consciousness of the South African public about the society we all aspire.
The South African reality is that society remains fragmented and this is accentuated by incidences of femicides, killings of people with albinism, emerging practices of cannibalism, abuse of drugs by the youth and many other social ills. In this regard, the Social Cohesion Advocates are active in pursuing cases against perpetrators of killings of people with albinism. This is in addition to the work they do in promoting constitutional values, shaping public opinion on major media platforms.
The Moral Regeneration Movement has been re-invigorated and additional board members have been appointed. This new epoch of the MRM seeks to re-energise ‘RDP of the Soul’, as espoused by the father of our democratic country, President Nelson Mandela. Dealing with damaged moral fibre of our society is being given attention through programmatic work of the MRM in partnership with the DAC.
The Charter of Positive Values is central to the work of MRM. Accordingly, the DAC supported MRM programme of ethical leadership in partnership with SALGA. Our support extended to MRM programmes across ideological divide, especially on the Code of Election Ethics. The DAC will continue to support the MRM in rekindling values that were once a glue keeping our society together.
The 2012 Social Cohesion Summit in Kliptown was a milestone of its kind in bringing leaders from all backgrounds together and adopt a declaration. The follow up summit of 2015 in Port Elizabeth gave impetus to the declaration because of its practical approach to engaging society in the discourse of social cohesion. In this context, conversations on this important area were extended to communities, meaning beyond academic spaces. In the last three years there has been over 100 conversations across the 9 provinces of the country.
The department developed themes for conversations and it became apparent that people are generally interested in discussing issues that affect them on daily basis. For example, people were concerned about levels of unemployment, service delivery, crime, etc. Some of the dialogues focused on the topical issue of anti-foreigner sentiment, xenophobia.
The national symbols of the country should remain central in the promotion of patriotism. In this regard, the department has printed the Passport of Patriotism booklet to educate our people about national identity. The continuous distribution of the booklet is about speeding up the programme to heighten awareness and consciousness.
The passport is widely distributed at national events and also constitutes an important part of Life Orientation curriculum in schools. This education also includes protocols on handling of national flags. In addition, the national flag has been hoisted in 80% of our schools.
Our National Days are an ideal lever for government to promote Nation building and Social cohesion. Therefore, the commemorations of these days should reflect our quest to build a united, democratic and prosperous society. The department has noted the concern that these commemorations have become an African affair, hence efforts are made to ensure inclusivity. This year, the Human Rights Day has seen participation of diverse political formations, community organisations and people of other races. This is work in progress.
The themes of the National Days have integrated the centenary of President Nelson Mandela and Mama Albertina Sisulu. Most importantly, the department has adopted an approach that ensures that activities for national days are extended for the full month.
Cultural diplomacy is central in the work of the department because global influences are realities for our country. There is abounding evidence that global integration is not limited to economic issues, but it is also social and cultural. Therefore, the Cultural Seasons programmes are critical to ensure people to people exchanges and showing our cultural products. Since 2012, the success of this initiative has been punctuated by a shift of focus from European countries to the BRICS countries and the African continent.
The department has been able to undertake the Cultural Seasons programme to China and Russia and later this year Brazil Season will kick-start. India will be the focus of the seasons towards the end of the financial year. On the continent Africa, the Cultural Seasons have been successful in the Algeria and Gabon. The next countries scheduled for the seasons are Angola, Kenya and Ghana. We also have a longstanding relationship with Western Sahara in the film industry
Africa Month is about celebrating the founding of Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and now African Union (AU) on the 25th May 1963.It also provides an opportunity to reflect on the philosophies and values of the founding fathers and pioneers of the Continent, including Kwame Nkrumah, Emperor Haile Selassie, Abdel Nasser, Leopold Sedar Senghor, and many other great leaders. It focuses on Africanness, African unity, African identity and pride.
During the past three years, the programme for Africa month has been extensive in sharing of perspectives about the continent through hosting of colloquia at institutions of higher learning, villages and townships. It is also about showcasing the kaleidoscope of cultural activities of the continent in various communities. Some of the prominent scholars that graced our colloquia during the past three years are Professor Ngungi Wa Thiongo, Professor Wole Soyinka, Professor Ben Okri and Professor Nuruddin Farah.
Branch 3: Arts, Culture, Promotion and Development.
The Cultural Development branch is central in the transformation of the arts and culture sector known as the Cultural and Creative Industry. The organisations in this industry are concentrated in three provinces, namely, Gauteng, Western Cape and KZN. Equally, the same trend holds for sector Companies in these provinces whose ownership is mainly white. There are about 2 400 companies in the cultural and creative industry whose ownership in these three provinces is white.
However, we believe that improved access to funding has also shaped ownership patterns whereby in many rural province black ownership of businesses is above 50%. This improved ownership is confirmed by research results of SACO in partnership with the DAC. The challenge remains that of ensuring the gender balance in the area of business ownership because the industry is still dominated by males. Indeed, the national picture indicates that overall black ownership in the industry is 52%.
MGE
Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) remains a strategic programme for funding within the sector. The programme will continue to intensify the realisation of the departmental objectives of job creation, content development and human capital development in the sector. The three work streams that the members of the sector can apply for funding assistance for the realisation of their projects; (1) Cultural Events, (2) Touring Ventures, and Public Art.
MGE Target Market Priorities
- Contribution to Transformation Framework: the MGE Fund evaluate each funding applications prior and post funding, to ensure that each funding contributes to the advancement of radical economic transformation.
- Participation by black women, youth and people with disability mainly: the MGE Fund emphasise the empowerment providing for an additional weighting for black women projects participation in the sector.
- Job Creation: Contribution towards employment creation and the number of jobs created per rand invested or jobs sustained through funding in impactful projects and businesses.
- Geographic Spread: Geographic spread of investments and contribution towards increased economic activity across all provinces, particularly in areas of regional economic disadvantage.
This approach directs the funds to the most dedicated people and contribute to their livelihood. For example:
- Arts Organisations and Community Arts Centres– Organisations that have focused on the development, nurturing and professionalisation of the artist’s needs.
- Professional Artists – these are artists for whom arts and culture is their bread and butter and means of sustainability. A professional artist is deemed to be a person who practices and trades arts and culture product and services on a full time or with greater attention of their time dedicated to ACH. The greatest needs for artists were listed as access to spaces (Performing Arts Spaces, hubs, precincts, and studios), tools of production such as equipment and working capital, training and skills to nurture talent.
Flagships.
The department has identified new flagship projects that will diversify the previous outlook that was largely festivals. This diversification will include new projects in books, fashion and other sectors.
On the Provincial Flagships the department will continue to support the provincial initiatives to the value of 36 000 000 (Thirty Million Rand) by ensuring that each province gets the support of R4 000 000 (4 Million Rand). These projects amongst others includes projects like the Kalahari Desert Festival in the Northern Cape, Mpumalanga Cultural Experience and Isingqisethu Cultural Festival in the Eastern Cape that continues to preserve and promote the beautiful heritage of this country.
On the National Flagship Indoni remains one of the National projects that promote the Indigenous knowledge system of the country as it takes place in all the 9 provinces with the main event happening in the KwaZulu-Natal Province.
The other flagships that the DAC will continue to support are:
- Cape Town Carnival in the Western Cape Province;
- Gauteng Carnival Pale Ya Rona;
- We can Arts Festival in Kwa-Mashu Township in KZN.
All flagships are in-line with our mandate of Nation Building and Social Cohesion as they keep coming up with new themes of celebrating the diversity of this country.
Cultural Events
This work stream supported 119 projects throughout the country to the total value of R40 000 000. The projects supported ranged from literary festival like Tiego Creative Writers in Limpopo. On human capital development the programme supported the Battle of Municipalities (BOM) project that focused in capacitating the young musicians in the value chain of the music industry in the Eastern Cape through workshops. On fashion, the programme funded the Berlin Fashion Show also in the Eastern Cape. The programme will in the current financial year continue to diversify its support of various genres as currently beneficiation has been more biased towards music festivals.
Touring Ventures
The Programme supported 78 projects across the country, to the total of R 26 029 355. Some of these projects were international tours, while others were local. The late Lucky Dube’s Daughter, Nonkululeko Dube, is among those supported. She performed with her band in Jamaica at the Rebel Salute Reggae Festival in honour of her father, telling the South African story and celebrating Reggae music. As a result of the support, she received bookings to perform at a festival in Brazil, at Salvador Bahia, also in Germany at a reggae Jam festival. These deals were concluded while still in Jamaica.
Incubator Programme
The aim of the incubator programme is to provide the young artists with holistic arts, creative, business training that will propel them to breaking grounds in the industry and also develop models of developing to fully fledged arts enterprises. To date, the incubator programme of the department has benefited 2 961 young artists who have produced and staged more than 30 new set of productions and have launched cultural enterprises in various disciples.
Phase 2 of the programme is also to open doors of learning to private incubator initiatives. To date, the department has supported private14 incubator initiatives have been supported to train young actors, filmmakers, fashion designers, playwrights and media communicators in Gauteng, Free State, Western Cape, KZN, Mpumalanga.
Living Legends Legacy Project
Since the programme was initiated in 2015, the Living Legends have participated in more than 100 public programmes and impacted more than 2000 participants ranging from Master Classes, colloquiums, guest lectures and incubator workshops at community art centres and public entities across the country. They have influenced, shaped and shared their skills, knowledge and African wisdom largely with the youth. Part of the initiative is to engage the living legends actively in programmes that promote arts culture and heritage development as well as provide opportunities for interaction and impart skills, knowledge and experience to younger generations of artists.
The programme is aligned to the Living Heritage Policy which seeks to preserve our living heritage and to create awareness of practices within different generations.
During the 2017/2018 financial year, the living legends participated in the Incubator Trade Fair for the inaugural graduating class of the incubator project funded by the department. The young artists groups were staging productions they have been developing as part of the Incubator Initiative administered by public entities. Over the years, the legends have been conducting Master Classes in the various incubators and being actively involved in shaping the crafts of young artists.
Living Legends Legacy Trust
I have launched the Living Legends Legacy Trust Endowment Fund during the Legends Tribute Production held at the Market Theatre on the 23 April 2018. The Living Legends Committee has concluded the establishment of the LLLP Trust and are overseeing the number of programmes that increases their socio-economic participation and also that promotes the exchange of skills and knowledge through skills and mentorship platforms. The committee consist of the Chairperson Mr Welcome Msomi and the Deputy Chairperson Ms Letta Mbulu Dr Wally Serote, Mr Fred Haggemann, Ms Adele Blank, Dr Peter Magubane Mr Stompie Manana) and Dr Don Mattera.
The Living Legends Legacy Committee have prioritised the following key initiatives:
- Implementing Master Classes, workshops and nation building dialogues across the country that seeks to foster the spirit of inter-generational exchange of skills and knowledge.
- Staging of Productions and Festivals that seek to increase the legends economic beneficiation
- LLLP Mentorship Programme – A programme that will link potential and eligible young professional artist with Living Legends over a period of time to jointly work on innovative projects that celebrate South Africa’s rich artistic, cultural heritage.
- The Living Legends will develop an online repository portal that will document, profile each legends history and body of work. To advocate for more socio-economic opportunities and platforms for the Living Legends through festivals and performance engagements
- The committee is also working closely with the department on the programme of action that honour; celebrate the body of work and life of one of South Africa’s greatest legends, Credo Mutwa. The Living
- Legends committee is working on a celebration programme during 2018 to revive and promote the body of work and his contribution to indigenous knowledge over the years.
Film Industry
The film industry is a powerful instrument for cultural expression, nation building and social cohesion. Therefore, both the economic and the cultural value of the industry re-enforce the developmental trajectory of the country. In the global context of the industry that is dominated by the United States Of America, Hollywood, new trends have emerged that developing countries are growing in the sector, especially Nigeria and India, known as Nollywood and Bollywood respectively. Evidence of employment opportunities for Nollywood are estimated at three hundred thousands people whereas Bollywood produces about 3000 films a year in 20 languages.
Accordingly, South Africa has to claim its place is this industry because our productions are of good quality. Currently, the Afrikaans films are most popular and have captive and supportive audiences. The successful Afrikaans films have been able to generate revenues between R3m and R16m, individually. However, we are not successful in attracting wider audiences for our films, especially the cinemas. The challenge to this shortcoming and other weaknesses have been proven to be related to content development, costs of production, lack of highly skilled personnel and demands of technology.
The department has commissioned a research through the South African Cultural Observatory to consider the feasibility of South African film industry, our own Sollywood. The preliminary report indicates that short films and documentaries are critical for honing skills of new film makers. Proper financing models and distribution will ensure that audiences are more development. The use of modern technology is also crucial for reducing costs and thus a good tool for exposing local content to broader society, and development of our own content.
South African Cultural Observatory
The momentum behind the South African Cultural Observatory {SACO} as the sector “nerve centre” that develops, collects and analyse cultural data across the sector, is significant. It reached a wide audience through a number of platforms and channels, including domain and other capacity building workshops, two international conferences, and on the SACO’s owned media platforms (newsletters, emails, and digital and social media). SACO also launched the South African SAFEIC (festivals economic impact calculator), and supported on inputs related to the Revised White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage.
The Mapping Study was conducted in 2017/18 which shows that:
GDP: In 2016, the GDP contribution of CCIs was estimated at R63, 385 billion which represents around 1.7% of the total GDP. This percentage increases nominally to 5.7% (R233 billion) if the multiplier effect is factored into the equation.
Employment: In 2015 cultural occupations made up 2.52% of jobs in South Africa in both cultural and non-cultural industries. Including non-cultural support occupations CCIs employed 4.2%. Altogether, the creative economy accounts for 6.72 of all jobs in South Africa
Transformation: 80% of cultural workers are black Africans, Coloured, and Indian or Asian while White workers are still over-represented in some areas of the sector. This is especially the case in specific domains in which tertiary education is required. The lack of access to tertiary education could potentially hinder faster transformation in the CCI’s. More than half of all cultural occupations are held by men (57%). Young women (under 35) are particularly underrepresented in the cultural sector: 34% of cultural workers are young women, compared to 42% of male cultural workers,” Snowball said.
Trade with BRICS: Exports of cultural goods accounted for 0.46% of SA’s total commodity exports in 2016 while imports accounted 0.66%, and a significant driver of this trend rested on the performance of the “Visual Arts and Crafts” domain and also due to growth of “Performance and Celebration”, and “Audio-visual and Interactive Media” domains
SACO also focused on analysing the outcomes of various categories of the Mzansi Golden Economy strategy, producing 9 Key Performance Indicators (9 KPI) Reports on DAC interventions, including: Festivals and Events; Provincial events; Touring Ventures; Public Art; Miscellaneous funding; the Cape Town Carnival; and mapping the spatial distribution of Mzansi Golden Economy funding. This closed out what is an impressive suite of research which will inform both policy and practice for years to come.
Publishing House.
South Africa is faced with enormous challenges in finding the best solutions to expedite the economic upliftment of its citizens, and the full eradication of unemployment, social inequality, illiteracy and poverty. The promotion and development of a culture of reading and of writing is essential in inculcating critical thinking and consciousness, contributing to nation-building and identity, and instilling national values and culture.
Books and literary production can play a significant role in promoting South African identity, nation building, social cohesion, and are foundational in telling the South African story.
The Publishing House will play a critical role in promoting a culture of writing and reading, and in literary development by:
- providing access to publishing opportunities for those who hitherto have not been able to access mainstream media houses,
- providing new content and new ideas that contribute to our national and continental intellectual development and pave new ways in doing and seeing cultural production
- ensuring that young authors have access to personal development through contributing to their development, building a sense of confidence and pride in their cultural and linguistic heritage;
- promoting, developing, enhancing and advancing a culture of reading, writing and publishing in all official languages
- encourage easy access to books for all;
- develop a sustainable book industry that supports equitable development of all South African languages including the former marginalised languages;
- Inculcate pride in what it means to be a South African author in the present times and 200 years after the establishment of the first national library in South Africa – hence the first batch of twenty books to be launched.
- encourage translations of literary works between at least one or two of our official languages so that there is a cross-pollination of texts, cultivation of audiences and critical reception of the works across language divides, thus promoting cultural coalescence or integration.
The Publishing House is thus an intervention model that will seek to demonstrate the benefits of such publishing, create spaces and new sites for literary production through encouraging new authors to publish their work, thus extending our freedom to be ourselves, create opportunities for authors and readers to engage in a far more extensive and rigorous way by providing tangible platforms for such encounters and conversations that contribute to the national discourse.
The initiative will focus on developing young writers in building connections and relationships within the industry and community. It will further assist them to have longevity as South African writers (sustain their writing) to support authors and readers.
Art Bank
The National Art Bank was launched on 12 December 2017 at the Oliewenhuis Art Museum in Bloemfontein with a curated exhibition, under the title: ““Emerging Visions: Telling the South African story” with an impressive total of 52 artworks from 32 artists from seven provinces. The main purpose of the Art Bank is to procure and curate South African art works and to lease the art works to government departments, its institutions, South African Embassies around the world for a minimum period of two years.
Included in the exhibition were also artworks from some of the living legends as part of DAC’s important program: the Living Legend Legacy Program (LLLP). 70% black artists and 60% female artists were included. Acquisitions of artworks will continue in 2018/19 with provincial launch exhibitions to be held in Gauteng and Western Cape. Public engagements will continue, including with state entities to publicise the art collection and to give artists an opportunity to showcase their work. We call on all government departments and institutions to make use of this opportunity.
Branch 4: Heritage preservation and promotion
The democratic South African story is incomplete without transformation of our heritage landscape. Therefore, preservation and promotion of heritage serves the dual purpose of understanding the genesis of the liberation history as people and the shaping the future we want. The young people of our country have taken initiative to undo public symbols that represent our repressive past and thus seeking support for the nation building project that the democratic dispensation espouses. In this context, it remains our responsibility to properly educate against vandalising and destroying heritage infrastructure. Ours is to expose our people to new models managing symbols of our painful past and illuminating symbols that posit nationhood and give energy in building the future.
In 2015, we appointed a Task Team on the Transformation of Heritage Landscape to conduct consultative workshops at different spheres of government as well as community levels. I am glad to report that, on 23 February 2018, together with Transformation of the Heritage Task Team, we convened a feedback session to present the report on its work to the public. The report was discussed and adopted by all stakeholders. Since the matter of colonial and apartheid iconography is the national question, it will be prudent to share the report findings and recommendations with cabinet for endorsement and implementation.
The work on the National Heritage Monument at Groenkloof Nature Reserve started in 2015. The main components of the NHM is the monumental parade of more than 400 life-size sculptural bronze representations of individuals across all social spectrums who have contributed to South Africa’s struggle for democracy and liberation, depicting a generational ‘Long March to Freedom’. Currently, the department has funded for the erection of 56 statues of heroes and heroines from pre-colonial till Anti-Apartheid Struggle.
The progress in developing this monument is at the stage of appointing an Environmental Impact Assessment professional and as well as the Heritage Impact Assessment at the proposed site in Tshwane. These processes are aimed at ascertaining compliance with regards to preserving our natural and cultural heritage. This is the National Heroes Acre which will be declared a national heritage site, established to celebrate contribution of the anti-Apartheid Struggle locally and internationally. Once this is done, work on the installation of the statues will continue.
The process to identify other sites whereby role of women and youth will be acknowledged has started with the provinces. Proper business plans are yet to be finalised in order to unlock funding from the Department, and hence the deadline is the end of May 2018. A Project Management Company has been appointed to manage J.L. Dube, O.R. Tambo, Khananda and Winnie Madikizela Mandela projects. The economic spin-offs in terms of job opportunities will also be derived from all these projects.
South Africa hosted a historic SADC Ministerial Roundtable discussion focusing on the history of resistance and liberation on the on 29th of March 2018. One of the outcomes of this Roundtable discussion, was that Ministers urged SADC Member states to collaborate with Tanzania to establish a one-stop Regional Liberation Heritage Resource Centre. The Ministers further took note of the operationalisation of country chapters and acknowledged the progress made by the country chapters. Ministers urged the Member States to develop mechanisms to collect, document and sustainably utilise shared African Liberation heritage while establishing National Chapters as well as to promote the use of ICT to preserve the ALHP and to disseminate knowledge to different users. Ministers called upon Member States to acquire the nine (9) volumes of General Hashim Mbita publication. Over and above this acquisition, digitise the publication as part of preservation and access.
In the context of centenary celebrations of Nelson Mandela and Ma Nontsikelelo Albertina Sisulu and the need for focused conversation on the relationship between African Liberation and World Heritage, South Africa has planned a side event at the 42nd World Heritage Committee Meeting in Manama Bahrain. This event is based on the Nomination Dossier of the Human Rights, Liberation Struggle and Reconciliation: Nelson Mandela Legacy Sites. The event will take place on the 29th June 2018.The following sites have been nominated:
- Waaihoek
- Mqekezweni
- Constitution Hill
- Sharpeville
- Lilies-leaf
- Fort Hare
- . Union Buildings
- . Ohlange
- June 1976 Routes
- Walter Sisulu Square
Inter-Ministerial Round Table
South Africa hosted the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference in 2015. During the conference, the Department in collaboration with IFLA hosted the Ministerial Pre-conference meeting which adopted the Cape Town Declaration. The African Library and Information Associations and Institutions (IFLA) committed to champion and monitor the implementation of the Declaration and report to the Minister the continental developments in the library and information services sector.
The Minister will host a follow-up Ministerial meeting with African Ministers responsible for Arts, Culture and Heritage. The meeting will be held on 5-6 July 2018 in Durban. The purpose of the meeting is to develop a coherent plan in terms of which African Countries will commit to enhance the state of libraries on the continent.
Local government is central to housing many programmes of the creative sector. However, the model of partnership with this sphere of government remains elusive. It has become imperative for the DAC to host a Local government summit in Arts and Culture during this financial year. This summit will explore and assert best model to ensure that local government also provides leadership in the sector. It should be noted that many tourism facilities are generally developed by arts, culture and heritage. Extensive education in the area of heritage at local level needs to be given impetus as it will also facilitate strong social consciousness and appreciation of our own history and heritage.
Thank you.
