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Artists pin hopes on Hlongwane

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STAKEHOLDERS in the creative sector on Wednesday said they were pinning their hopes for the revival of the sector on newly- appointed minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Makhosini Hlongwane.

STAKEHOLDERS in the creative sector on Wednesday said they were pinning their hopes for the revival of the sector on newly- appointed minister of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Makhosini Hlongwane.

BY WINSTONE ANTONIO

The artists claimed the former minister in charge of the portfolio, Abednico Ncube, had failed them.

The artists said issues of piracy, lack of appreciation of their works and remuneration needed to be ring-fenced through the implementation of water-tight policies.

Zimbabwe Musicians’ Union interim president Edith Weutonga said such interactions with the minister should continue and resolutions made implemented.

“Hopefully what has been discussed will not just end here, but be effected to revamp the creative sector,” she said.

Theatre producer Daniel Maposa said the meeting was a momentous occasion for most of them in the arts sector, while arts critic Raisedon Baya said such engagements were fruitful.

The artistes appealed to the government to inject more resources into the creative sector, as their works had the potential to contribute to economic growth.

Hlongwane said the government had an open-door policy to allow engagement with arts sector players.

“It will be helpful, in large measure, to proffer solutions that answer to the questions as raised by the artists themselves who are active members of the arts and culture constituency,” he said.

“We are under no illusion as to the importance of the arts and culture sector as far as the development of the country is concerned. A key area of focus is to try and remove the arts and culture sector from the fringes of the economy and try to integrate it into the main stream of our economy what we call the real economy,” he said.

He said there was need to change attitudes and perceptions, something he claims must be collaborative between government and its agencies alongside the stakeholders in the sector.

“Listening to you as bureaucrats ourselves, we are able to place each one of the issues you raised within its relevant policy narrative and then say are we adequately providing for the sector as far as this policy is concerned or we should do more in order to assist the sector to grow or do more.”

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