CREATIVE INDUSTRY
The Hunger for
Creative Content
By Charlene Kamali
S
torytellers do for the human soul
what doctors do for the human
body. As Africans, most of us grew
up being told that success was defined in
the acquisition of professional degrees i.e.
doctor, lawyer or engineer. Unfortunately,
everyone neglected to mention that the
economy we were being prepared for
would transform, and failing to diversify
our skills would render us obsolete.
The creative outlets we were warned
against have become some of the biggest
industries in the global economy today.
Are we equipped to ride the tide?
The creative industry encompasses an
array of knowledge-based economic
activities including, but not limited to,
advertising, architecture, arts and crafts,
design, fashion, film, video, photography,
music, performing arts, animation, video
games, and TV/radio.
Amidst the looming threats to the global
economy, the creative industry has proven
to be more resilient than most. The global
market for creative goods doubled from
$208 billion in 2002 to $509 billion in
2015. However, it's important to note that
of the content consumed in Africa, 90%
of it is foreign.
Despite the immense opportunities in
the creative industry, we have yet to
fully penetrate the industry and make
it profitable for us. Is this because the
content we have consumed from this
industry through movies, music or books
has almost exclusively featured faces we
can’t identify with? Is there room for
diverse content in the creative industry?
Fun fact: There will always be a hunger
for creative content.
The power and impact of art are unde-
niable, but the creative industry requires
a vast amount of support to become the
panacea it has the potential to be. There
are several challenges facing the creative
industry, especially in Africa. Access to
funding, distribution platforms, and pro-
fessional skills training to be able to cre-
ate quality content are some of the big-
gest hindrances for African creatives.
64 MAL33/19 ISSUE
African Art As A Political
Statement
Fela Kuti used his music to speak truth to
power in a period of political disarray in
Nigeria. Miriam Makeba, fondly known
as Mama Africa, used music to advocate
against the apartheid regime in South
Africa, which led to her being named a
United Nations goodwill ambassador.
Creatives have been the driving force
behind many a revolution, even when it
could be the difference between life and
death. Most recently, Robert Kyagulanyi,
commonly known as Bobi Wine, has
continuously used his music to speak to
the struggles he saw everyday living in the
ghettos of Kampala; today he represents
those very people in parliament. Angelique
Kidjo, an artist from Benin, uses her music
to speak ebola, AIDS, female genital
mutilation and homophobia.
In response to the mini skirt bill in Uganda
that essentially put the blame of the sexual
harassment and violence that women were
facing on their dress code, Kemiyondo
Coutinho created a short film that spoke
to the plight of the ordinary Ugandan
woman and the impact that chauvinist
policies like that have on propagating the
violence they face daily.
What these artists and hundreds of
creatives around the world have shown
us is the true power of using art to create
impact. Art gives people hope, purpose,
and comfort. Art is able to have an
emotional impact on people in ways that
translate across cultures and resonate