Stephen Garan’anga Visual Art
Since the oppressive colonialists strangled our freedom, they continually made relentless efforts to ravage our way of life until 1980 when political independence was attained through the prolonged bloody liberation struggle. To date the snail pace at which efforts to redress the various abnormalities shrouding the development of the arts and culture sector seem the colonial damage to be irreparable. In the 1980s the Zimbabwean government seemed to have recognised the value of the arts and culture sector by incorporating it into a ministry. But through shear ignorance of some parliamentarians of the day, the sector was bundled out of the ministry and various other efforts to engage the sector were quashed. Later the sector was again readopted as a tiny part of a major ministry and clamours by practitioners to have numerous grey areas in the then existing policies governing the sector including some inherited from the colonial past fell into deaf ears.

Precious time elapsed whilst plentiful sectorial meetings of purposeful engagement with the authorities took place and by year 2007 there was concrete realisation that the Arts and Cultural Industries had for years emerged as one of Zimbabwe’s major sources of foreign currency, employment and a tool to assert the people’s national identity. This creative sector had contributed immensely in attracting tourist inflows and in building the country’s image. The government attempted to enhance tangibly the support they gave to national cultural institutions such as the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, the National Gallery of Zimbabwe, the National Library and Documentation Service and the National Museums and Monuments to ensure that culture becomes one of the most important engines of development.

They seemed to have realised that promotion and development of the Arts and Cultural Industries can only enhance the capacity to create new jobs, generate income and increased inflows of foreign currency if it was based on a clear policy. That was the time when a cultural policy document of 2007 was drafted after consultations with part of the creative industry but the final product was nowhere near reality and what practitioners had for far too long been crying for and was never implemented.

One of the major requests by practitioners was to have a standalone ministry of arts and culture as there were too many contradicting policies and ministries that intermingled with their practices and products therefore hindering their development. This was never mentioned by the draft document and the wrath of too many inter-meddling ministries into the sector is still wreaking havoc even today with the new ministry of sports, arts and culture in place.

As political skirmishes disturbed everything in the country during the first decade of this millennium there was an outcry for the need of a new constitution of the nation and was heard meaning all the past efforts and resources used in attempt to correct menacing issues of the sector was mere part of a passing phase. A brand new constitution is now firmly with us and various consultations regarding the industry at ministerial level and input on development of its education curricula are still on. Recently at the National Manpower Advisory Council (NAMACO) – Ministry-joint meeting held at Troutbeck Inn in Kadoma, very little recommendations made by captains of the Arts and Cultural Industries sub sector committee were adapted to their disbelief. Even their recommendation that there is need to establish an integrated training school that covers all the arts under one roof. A school that would be responsible for defining entry points, enrol, train and manage the defined structure. The current elitist system in the few existing tertiary education institutions involved is not ideal as most artistic talent is being eliminated by stringent entry requirements.

The members recommended that there was need to nature the talent in individual artists. The arts sector was lacking trade testing skills. It was prudent to start trade testing for arts occupations before certification was done. This would be basically fulfilled through following the new structured system besides the stringent entry requirements.

The sector would also set and develop standards according to desired level, develop skills proficiency schedules that outline competencies to be used in trade testing and then review the curricula. It was noted that the current perception is that the arts and culture sector was belittled in Zimbabwe and not recognised as a contributor in the Tourism and Hospitality sector.

The sub sector committee members also noted that since 1980 the films have not done much recognition and there is lack of standardisation. There were many artists who need full training to earn a recognised qualification.

There was need to carry out a survey to establish all independent, registered and unregistered institutions. Arts and culture philosophy is based on creativity and standardising the curricula means we would limiting the creativity aspect. A highly knowledgeable representative from the ministry of sport, arts and culture said they were aware of several things out of place in the sector which are going to be redressed. For instance, one wonders why the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe does not register with artists as individuals especially in visual arts where fine art practitioners naturally exist as individual creators. Many associations registered with them are either no longer in existence, or they exist for convenience or are now run by individuals. It is now a substantial period after the attainment of Zimbabwe’s independence and innumerable shortcomings still bedevil the Arts and Cultural Industries. Are practitioners of this generation going to perish still wondering when this day will be when sustainable measures are right in places for normal existence?

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