South Africa’s arts and culture community convened in Newtown, Johannesburg on 14 and 15 April for the National Consultative Summit on the Cultural and Creative Industry organised by the Department of Arts and Culture (DAC)
Minister of Arts and Culture Paul Mashatile opened the historic summit, saying the event marked the start of a new era for the arts, culture and heritage sector.
“Through this summit we wish to collectively place the cultural and creative industries at the forefront of our national priorities. From now on the arts, culture and heritage sector will take its rightful place at the core of the national effort to build a socially inclusive society and contribute to economic growth and job creation.’
Minister Mashatile informed delegates that in the implementation of the New Growth Path, Cabinet has identified this sector as one of the drivers of economic growth and prosperity. “We are here to craft a new path for the arts that requires that we fundamentally change the way we do things. In many advanced economies, the creative economy is now recognized as a leading sector in generating economic growth, employment and trade.’
Deputy Minister of Economic Development Enoch Godongwana, said that according to 2006 figures, the total contribution of the creative sector in Gauteng alone is R33.3bn per annum with employment created for 182,000 people. He acknowledged that the contribution of the creative sector is not well understood and that there is a need to position the industry. It was pointed out that the IDC (Industrial Development Corporation) has set aside R14.9bn in order to assist the creative industries.
Avril Joffe, an economist, traced the history of cultural policies in South Africa since 1994. In her presentation, she challenged government to invest, develop and support the sector. She also emphasized the need for government to listen and dialogue with the sector because arts, culture and heritage are the human, social and economic wealth of our country.
Department of Trade and Industry representative Garth Strachan, outlined the opportunities for the sector in the new Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP) and indicated that the future emphasis would be on more local content in terms of the sourcing of arts and crafts through government procurement processes.
After the morning plenary session on the first day, the summit broke up into commissions on the organisation, the performance and funding of the sector.
On the second day of the summit delegates heard reports from these commissions. Discussions also took place on skills development, the sourcing of goods and services in the sector, the role of cultural precincts, heritage development, the proposal for an art bank as well as a public art programme. Delegates also looked at look at funding, policy and a legislative review of the sector.
The Department will take forward the outcomes of the summit through project tasks teams that will provide detailed plans for their interventions by August 2011.
