Do we need a chamber of arts?

Stephen Chifunyise Theatre Corridors
Several cultural operators responded to the piece “Chamber of arts and culture launched”.
There were questions on many respects, a clear indication not only of the positive response to the establishment of the Zimbabwe Chamber of Arts and Culture Industry but also the readiness of the stakeholders in building the chamber.

Most people asked on how stakeholders will be selected to constitute sector or professional committees of the chamber.

The committee elected to put into effect the idea of the chamber has not yet indicated what actions it has taken. My assumption was that the committee would need to establish sector or professional committees that would brainstorm on different issues to do with the nature and functions of the chamber.

The committee is therefore not just to consider the issue of professional committees but also how the cultural operators who will constitute professional committees will be identified and elected as representatives of sectors or professions.

Another question was what sectors are the concerns of the Zimbabwe Chamber of Arts and Culture Industry. One would assume that these should be sectors or professions that were represented at the National Arts and Culture indaba. One cultural operator indicated that he could remember cultural operators in the sectors of dance, theatre, music, film, visual arts and crafts, design, digital arts, media arts, heritage protection and promotion, and arts education.

There is no doubt that if one follows the United Nations Centre for Trade and Development’s categorisation of the creative economy or indeed what is covered under the creative and cultural industries, the sectors or professions that would be the concern of a chamber of arts and culture industry would be more than what the cultural operator indicated were represented at the National Arts and Culture indaba.

Also asked was whether or not the leaders of the 25 arts and culture organisations who attended a capacity building workshop that was held in Harare from the 22nd UNESCO, International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD), should not be allowed to constitute the sector or professional committees that may be required to brainstorm on the chamber’s articles of association, its organisational structure, membership and operations.

One can only assume that there are sections of the creative and cultural industries that are not being covered by the 25 arts and culture organisations whose leaders participated in the workshop on building the capacity of leaders of arts and culture organisations in Zimbabwe.

There is no harm in stakeholders in the arts and culture industry submitting their views on this issue of the composition of sector or professional committees of the chamber. One Harare-based respondent complained that I had been very unfair to mention only Albert Chimedza as a member of the committee appointed to lead the building of the Zimbabwe Chamber of Arts and Culture Industry.

Unfortunately, when I submitted my piece I had not been fortunate to have the complete list of the members of the committee appointed at the National Arts and Culture indaba. Members of the committee are Cont Mhlanga, Chipo Nzonzo, Raisedon Baya, Herman Chimusoro, Josh Nyapimbi, David Jeremani and Pathisa Nyathi.

I agree with those who observed that a much larger committee may not be ideal at the beginning of the exercise of establishing the Chamber of Arts and Culture Industry where such issues as the cost of hosting the meetings of the committee may be a critical factor.

Given the fact the appointed committee of the chamber cannot be expected to comprise of representatives of all the sections of the arts and culture industry, the idea of establishing sector or professional committees becomes very reasonable and strategic.

The other question raised by a Bulawayo-based cultural operator was why it was found necessary to establish a chamber of arts and culture industry when there already exists the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce and the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries.

My response was that one of the first tasks of the appointed committee of the Zimbabwe Chamber of Arts and Culture Industry should be to justify the importance of such a body.

There is, however, no doubt that the development and growth of a viable creative economy in Zimbabwe requires the existence of national organisations that can attend to the challenges being faced by players the creative and cultural industries and that can establish viable dialogue with appropriate government structures on critical policy issues and on concerns of cultural operators.