Ministry gives artistes a raw deal

back and reflect on the year.
Although it is the end of the year, we are still in mourning the deaths of many prominent artistes who left us in 2011.
We are aware that death is a part and parcel of life but the year 2011 saw too many devastating and unexpected deaths among musicians.
We lost a prominent musician and erstwhile DJ, Hilton Mambo, early this year, Khumbulani Chaka of Gakamoto Jumbo Stars, Khumbulani Gibson Magaya from the group Vabati Va Jehovha, Takunda Mafika of True Bantu fame, Clement Chinyama of Cool Nights Band, Adam Chisvo, Cephas Mashakada of the Muddy Face, then Tongai “Dhewa” Moyo.
As I write, Prince Tendai Mupfurutsa of Midnight Magic, who has been ill throughout the year and has been away for the past four months is still in China receiving medical treatment. It is a sad year indeed!
To mark the end of the year, on December 3, Oliver Mtukudzi, who also lost a son last year, brought the annual Pakare Paye Solo Festival to the people with the hope that it will lift the spirits of those musicians who are still alive.
This was held at the multimillion-dollar Sam Mtukudzi Conference Centre and featured solo artistes who included Watson Junior Chidzomba, Donald Kanyuchi, Josh Meck, Selmar Mtukudzi, Sulumani Chimbetu, Steve Makoni, Prudence Katomeni-Mbofana, Fungisayi Zvakavapano-Mashavave, Edith We- Utonga-Katiji, Munya Mataruse, Tendai Manatsa and Freddie “Kapfupi” Manjalima.
No doubt Oliver Mtukudzi is giving back to the community by supporting and encouraging young people to realise their dreams. The people of Norton in particular are lucky to have Oliver in their midst.
The show proved that Zimbabwe has got lots of talent, and its sponsors, Tuku Music, Daisy’s Kitchen, Culture Fund, Jazz 105, NewsDay, Sida and Spar understood the need to invest in the arts.
It is rather sad to note that those sponsors, who should have also been on board at this wonderful event, were conspicuous by their absence.
For instance, where was the Government of Zimbabwe in all this? Should it not be playing a crucial role in promoting the arts given the fact that there is a ministry which stands for arts and culture in this country?
Their argument in the past has always been that there is no money to support events of this nature, but as the pugnaciously spirited Continue Loving Mhlanga a.k.a. Cont Mhlanga of Amakhosi Cultural Centre argues, there is money for arts and culture after all.
After an analysis of Tendai Biti’s budget for 2012, this is what he had to say:
“As one of the captains of the creative industries I have followed the minister’s votes with some keen interest.
“Contrary to the widely held belief by those eking a living in arts that Government does not fund the arts, a closer study of the National Budget reveals that the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture that is housed under the Ministry of Education does get a fair envelope.
“This is in comparison with other departments and or even some ministries given what our economy can afford at present. The minister has always said we should aim to “eat what we kill” as a nation.
In the US$707,325 million vote allocated to the Ministry of Education, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture got US$8,446 million. At a quick glance one may feel arts and sports always get a raw deal from Education.
It is only when you take a look at the votes of other ministries and departments that include Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Media Information and Publicity, Information Communication Technology, Economic Planning and Investment Promotion, Women’s Affairs, Science and Technology Development and Small and Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development, that one gets to observe that the envelope for the Arts, Sports and Culture Department is not far off the average mark to warrant claims that the Government is not funding the arts.
Agreed the funding is inadequate but it is so for all these other ministries that I have listed above.
However, the real challenge and concern of the artistes is that despite the allocation to the Department of Arts and Culture nothing gets down to support the making of great art and its aggressive marketing at provincial capitals and some selected district centres of the country.
It is clear that the challenge of marginalisation of the people’s culture is not in the Ministry of Finance, Cabinet or Parliament but it is within the Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture itself.
The way the 2012 Budget of US$8,446 million has been allocated within the department is rather irresponsible and outrageous, to say the least.
This suggests a lack of interest and effective representation of arts and culture by the minister and the permanent secretary and their team of directors.
How else how does one justify getting US$8,446 million and fail to allocate even half a million of that amount to the production and aggressive marketing of great art?
I subscribe to the theory of arts and cultural activity that prioritises investing in the making and marketing of great art across the country.
Moulding and strengthening the arts industry is primary and any other activity is secondary to this.
The Department of Arts and Culture in the Ministry of Education is not investing in the production of great art that is marketed aggressively across the country and globally.
The Education Ministry is not only letting down other ministries and departments tasked with marketing the country’s tourism, identity, national pride, local consumer products and campaigns such as “Buy Zimbabwe” and the national brand, but it is also letting down the whole nation and its essence of Independence.
It is this ministry that should be in the forefront driving and leading the nation’s Cultural Revolution, and its local and international image.
It is this same ministry that should be co-ordinating all other ministries that house cultural elements within their ministries for maximum national impact, but alas nothing of that sort is happening.
One would be forgiven to think that the Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity or the Ministry of Tourism and Hospitality Industry are the ministries of arts and culture in Zimbabwe as they bring in artistes like Joe Thomas, Luciano and Sizzler.
They have a greater impact and visibility on the arts and culture sector than the Culture Ministry. Why is it so?
The Culture Ministry needs to urgently re-prioritise, re-focus resources and streamline activities between those in arts and those in culture.
The US$8,446 million is for three sections – Arts, Culture and Sports. When the envelope is this thin the logical thing to do is to put Arts and Culture back to back as arts is a direct expression and product of culture.
This will reduce the sections to two that of Arts and Sports to share the envelope equally for the coming years till the envelope grows to US$12 million, then it can be shared between the three sections of Art, Sport and Culture.
The correct thing to do at present is to share equally the US$8,446 million between the Arts and Sport sections of the department.
This way these two very critical sections of our society; because involvement in arts and sport participation is dominated by children, youths and young adults of the nation who are the majority will each have US$4,223 million to gradually build the arts and sports industries of this country.
Anyone who can tell me that this amount of money is too little and cannot be effectively spread across the country with maximum impact only confirms their lack of understanding and ignorance of how these two sectors function at community level and how they can be developed.
They should stay away from making decisions for these two sections.
The 2012 allocations we have now don’t consider this option.
They tell us that the people’s arts and culture is not important.
The country’s three National Galleries that provide space for already finished works for a few selected visual artists in the country get more than all other arts sub-sectors of literature, dance, theatre, music, visual arts, film and television production.
How does any responsible arts and cultural administrator in a culturally diverse country such as Zimbabwe justify such a wayward decision?
Three buildings get US$1,873 million against US$1,175 million to the National Arts Council that represents arts institutions, associations and groups in 10 provinces in all the seven arts and culture sub-sectors, visual arts practised by the low class included!
The Sports Commission gets a cool US$2,215 million. Why? Because in some person’s mind who personally likes cricket or soccer has concluded that sport is more important in society than all the country’s seven arts and culture sub-sectors.
It does not end there as the ministry keeps a further US$900 000 for what they call sports promotion, US$450 000 for State occasions which should be named national celebrations in my opinion, then the blow comes US$300 000 for cultural promotions!
AGAIN ARTS AND CULTURE GETS THE LEAST! Even Corruption gets far more than arts and culture, as a total of US$1,338 million has remained hidden not allocated within the department! This is shocking, to say the least.
This anomaly calls for correction urgently or heads somewhere should roll.
I have proposed that the logical thing to do is to allocate Sport and Arts an equal share of the minister’s 2012 envelope for the department as they are both equally critical and important to society.
With the rise of unemployment in this country among many young people, Cont has summed up this desperate situation well. How about creating recording and art studios for the youth so that they can develop their talents instead of wasting them on the streets through crime?
Perhaps it is time now for the Government to consider the creation of a stand-alone Ministry of Arts and Culture.
Otherwise the future of arts and culture in Zimbabwe is once again, bleak. However, despite this sad end to the year 2011, we wish everyone a Merry Christmas!