African and US artists. As we prepare to celebrate 20 years of
freedom in 2014, and work on making our creative industries
more lucrative and sustainable, we hope for new partnerships
between our peoples, “added Xaba.
grooves, the Mahotella Queens’ uplifting acapella, infused with
Jozi‘s Zulu hip hop mix, the Parlotones’ arena rock anthems,
Simphiwe Dana’s sultry Afro soul, and The Soil’s harmonious
new voice.
SAAF 2013 in Los Angeles also presents participating South
African artists and entertainment industry professionals with
an opportunity to meet with members of the Los Angeles area
creative film and music communities.
Showcased films represented a broad range of South African
cinema – from uplifting family-friendly fare Felix, to gritty dramas
such as the critically-acclaimed Otelo Burning, about a group
of kids who learn to surf against a backdrop of conflict, to
documentaries such as The African Cypher, which explores
Soweto’s street dance sub-culture.
Saturday’s outdoor “South African Music Festival” was
reflective of the country’s colourful diversity yet still speaking to
contemporary artistic movements, with Hugh Masekela’s jazz
The Mzansi Golden Economy
Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) is a strategy to reposition the cultural industries in South Africa.
The MGE strategy opens up the arts, culture and heritage sector to effectively and comprehensively
contribute to economic growth and job creation. The Minister of Arts and Culture has declared 2013 as
the year of MGE. Some of the projects that DAC has initiated and is implementing are; Cultural Events,
Sourcing Enterprise, Public Art, Touring Ventures, Art Bank, NACISA and Cultural Observatory.
The Cultural Events initiative funds big cultural events in different
cities and towns of the country. These Events provide platforms
for performing artists to display their arts and earn a living. It also
provides secondary and supportive jobs.
The Sourcing Enterprise sources goods and services for events,
shows, conferences and exhibitions. It chooses the best and
most appropriate artists, and their creations. It also provides an
opportunity for the young upcoming artists to be showcased on
these platforms.
The Public Art project looks at proposals from artists who can
do a Public Art Performance like the Cape Carnival and the
Infecting the City project which does ‘impromptu’ multi-media
arts. Street theatre and dance are also part of this programme.
The Public Art project consists of outdoor murals and sculpture.
The Department has been funding such projects which offer job
opportunities to visual artists, especially among the youth and
beautifies public spaces.
The Cultural Observatory aims to provide the industry and
government with the data that will help develop appropriate
strategies for facilitating development of the sector and to
enhance its contribution to the GDP. In assessing the economic
impact of the projects, the Cultural Observatory will provide the
following economic indicators:•
The size of the industry
•
Number of jobs created
•
Percentage contribution to the GDP
•
The value of the industry across the value chain.
The Touring Venture project deals with Art Exhibitions, Plays and
Public Art Performances that need to be taken to various cities
to provide opportunities for audiences elsewhere to experience
the art.
The Art Bank Project is envisaged as a national rental agency
for contemporary and traditional South African Art. Its function
will be to procure and curate artworks in all public buildings,
including government departments and its institutions and
South African Embassies around the world to ensure that good
quality contemporary artworks are displayed.
The National Cultural Industries Skills Academy (NaCISA) is
a proposed centre of excellence that is being developed in
collaboration with Departments of Basic and Higher Education, the
Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Labour.
We are discussing the project with various tertiary level institutions
that provide training to the arts sector to devise a curriculum and
programme of training, having found gaps with the skills shortages
identified by researches in the arts sector. This centre of excellence
will provide a training centre for the youth at tertiary level.
CORPORATE SOCIAL REVIEW
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