What is a national cultural policy meant to do?

Arts Focus
I AM no expert on policy issues. Any policy issues for that matter. Therefore this article is not an expert opinion on cultural policy issues or the on-going policy review process. The article is also not a critique of the Zero Draft policy document that is currently in circulation but rather a layman’s view and expectations on the current review process and the resultant document to come out of the process.

Obviously this piece is an artist’s reaction to the on-going process of reviewing the Zimbabwean cultural policy spearheaded by the Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture. The review has taken a bit long – it was obviously disturbed by the constitutional making process and the general elections that followed in 2013. Another disappointment is the fact that the review process, which in itself is a national process, seems to be running on zero budget. Up to now the process has been largely funded by NGOs (Swedish funded Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust and UNESCO) and it is not clear yet what Government has actually put towards the review process except for human resources and as a result many people in the arts and culture sector are wondering how serious our Government is about the review process and the arts sector itself.

One writer once said that a country’s culture is its body and soul, reflecting the way its inhabitants act and think. I want to believe that this is a good enough reason for Government to properly fund and support the review process. Unless, of course, our leaders still think culture is not that important and should be restricted to the airport when the country welcomes foreign dignitaries with song and dance.

The good news so far is that the review process is still lumbering on like a drunken giant as evidenced by stakeholder consultations currently going on. And so as the ministry responsible for the review frantically tries to finish the process and will hopefully come up with a better and more coherent policy than the last one which was described by many as “shallow, rushed and nothing but an academic paper disguised as a policy,” the arts sector continues to wait for a policy that will speak to them and about their aspirations.

The current stakeholder consultations are very welcome, however, a broader and more meaningful exercise can only take place if there are reasonable resources to see the process through.

So as the review process wobbles towards the end, my sincere hope is that it will come up with a better document that will change the fortunes of arts and culture in this country. There is no need for rocket science to know that a good policy, if implemented well, will definitely change the cultural landscape of this country.

By definition a national cultural policy “is the expression of a Government’s willingness to adopt and implement a set of coherent principles, objectives and means to protect and foster its country’s cultural expression. And the arts are the very foundation of this expression.” Where is our Government’s willingness if it is failing to fund the review process? Will it be willing to fund the implementation of the interventions recommended by the final policy document? Implementation will actually require more political will and resources.

Yes, a policy document is a roadmap. It is a document that clearly points to the direction the country must take to remain true to our national identity. I believe the first objective of a national cultural policy is to define and encourage the strengthening of a national identity. After reading the document one should be clear on what it entails to be Zimbabwean. The cultural policy document should spell out what Government intends to do to build and strengthen this identity. This document should also include strategies on how to address past imbalances as well as current challenges and it can only effectively do this if it is grounded on a solid analysis of current socio-political and cultural realities of the country.

It is important for the policy to be able to define who we are and what we are about as a country. What is Zimbabwean culture? How should we preserve and promote it? Obviously Zimbabwean culture is diverse and inclusive. The policy must be clear on this inclusivity so as to encourage and allow every community in this country to participate, consume and enjoy cultural life.

As an artist I am interested in seeing how the new policy will offer solutions to the current problem of fragmentation, lack of funding, unclear and almost non-existent distribution channels. How will the policy encourage content production? How will it deal with consumption of local arts and culture both locally and internationally? I am also interested in seeing how the new policy will offer solutions to challenges regarding training, preservation and the production of arts and cultural goods and services.

Lastly, the policy has to clearly spell out an implementation strategy including a national plan of action that embraces monitoring and evaluation. Who is going to do what? What will be the role of Government and civil society? What will be the role of the private sector? This has to be clear so that if nothing happens we will all know who to blame.

I conclude with another fervent prayer that the document that will come out of the review process would be much better than the one being reviewed.