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Arts Reporters
Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry has assured artistes that her ministry will be reviving the Arts Development Fund as a vehicle to support practitioners and activities in the sector.
This was revealed in a speech read on her behalf by chief director in the ministry Dr Benson Dube, during the official opening of the 21st edition of Mugariro Community Winter Arts Festival (MUCOWAFEST) in Highfield, Harare, yesterday.
Minister Coventry said good corporate governance in the cultural and creative industries was key as this promoted the vibrancy of the sectors.
She said her ministry wants good corporate governance practices in the sector because it is a key player in attaining Vision 2030 objectives.
“My ministry is here to support and demonstrate Government’s support for the growth of this critical sector so that it is well-positioned to take arts and culture as key players of Vision 2030.
“Sound administration instils investor confidence and the corporate world gets attracted to such a sector, which will in turn spur the sectors’ market share to grow.
“As the cultural and creative sector grows in the quality and quantities of productions, goods, activities and services it will create employment opportunities and sustain livelihoods across its value chain.
“It will also start to complete for attention with other sectors of the economy attracting capital investment from local, regional and international markets. All these activities become the evidence of the sectors’ contribution to the domestic gross product and national wealth,” she said.
Minister Coventry urged artistes to join arts associations in order to fight piracy.
“Artistes ought to join arts associations and these associations ought to register in numbers to the Nationals Arts Council, our parastatal.
So the artistes, the associations, the NACZ and the ministry need to team up with other stakeholders to fight piracy, which emanates from bad corporate governance.
“The protection of the rights of the artiste and the sector cannot be emphasised, including the minority shareholder rights and recognition of the rights of those practitioners who are differently abled, but are creative persons,” she said.
In a speech read on his behalf by the deputy director Trust Mudzingwa, Minister of State for Harare Metropolitan Province, Senator Oliver Chidawu added that the festival provides youths with an opportunity to exhibit their skills in the creative arts.
“The festival is, indeed, a welcome development, which provides our youths with an opportunity to exhibit their skills in the creative arts while fostering their integration in our national development.
The festival also provides youths with an opportunity to improve the community’s understanding of the importance of theatre and performing arts in our sustainable development efforts.
“MUCOWAFEST also brings together different groups of youths, who together exhibit their wares, and deliberate on their challenges in an effort to come up with policy recommendations that can be adopted at the national level.
“The festival also cultivates a collaborative atmosphere that creates strategic partnerships with leading corporates for the transformation of our youths,” he said.
The festival is running from July 24-27.
Online Reporter