Govt keen to revamp creative sector

By The Standard | Oct. 20, 2017 | 2 Min read

SPORT, Recreation, Arts and Culture minister Makhosini Hlongwane yesterday said the government was keen to revamp the creative sector into an industry that will contribute to the country’s economy.

BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

Addressing journalists after his first meeting with the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) as minister of an expanded portfolio incorporating the arts, Hlongwane said there was need to ensure that the creative sector was sustainable.

“The mere fact is that we have the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture which speaks to the government’s intention to support the creative sector in its broader sense,” he said.

“There is need to design strategies that are national in character, of developing the arts sector which does not situate only in funding, but also in facilitating funding and provision of an enabling environment for culture sports and arts to thrive.”

Hlongwane said the government was duty-bound to develop an enabling environment for artistes to thrive, but stressed that artistes should not wait for government aid.

“We also want to encourage artistes that once provided with this enabling environment, they must understand that they earn a living out of production of their work, not out of hand outs from the government,” he said.

Hlongwane said there was need for collaborative efforts and enforcement of the current legal instruments in the fight against piracy.

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“Piracy is a global phenomenon, a challenge that has affected the creative industry across the world. We need to put our hands together to innovate and to structure ways to make sure we mitigate the problem,” he said.

“Eradicating piracy is almost near impossible under the age of new media ever evolving technologies that definitely is going to be a toll order, but a good starting point will be to say are we enforcing the legal instruments that are in place at the moment.”