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Forty participants representing key stakeholders in the arts, culture and heritage sector in Zimbabwe attended the 2016 Arts and Culture Indaba held at the Cresta Lodge, Harare last month. The two-day Indaba was characterised by key presentations from National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, outgoing executive of the Chamber for Creative Industries and Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education.

In addition, participants in smaller groups carried out a sectoral review focusing on challenges while proffering solutions as a way forward.

The National Arts and Culture Dialogue commonly referred to as Indaba is a yearly platform for stakeholders in the arts and culture sector designed to dialogue, introspect, analyse challenges and chart the way forward, and is organized by the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ). Key stakeholders in the sector at national level constitute the participants.

There are eight key objectives that guided the Indaba and these are:

◆ To provide an interactive platform for sectoral representation by key players in the sector;

◆ To bring together sectoral representatives to review sectoral trends with a view to mapping development strategies on an annual basis;

◆ To interrogate investment opportunities for the sector for sustainable economic growth;

◆ To propose functional structures in the sector that enable collective voice and action for sectoral development;

◆ To review strategies in the implementation of programmes and activities within the sector;

◆ To share experiences and assess the current status of the sector in view of existing and new policies designed to prop up the sector.

◆ To provide a platform to influence policy formulation and review in light of new developments in the sector; and

◆ To afford the Ministry responsible for Arts and Culture an opportunity to intimately interact with industry practitioners, arts, culture and heritage administrators, promoters, training institutions and professionals in the sector and dialogue on pertinent issues.

The 2016 Indaba had the following four as its specific issues for deliberation:

◆ Presentation of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe Annual Report 2015;

◆ Zimbabwe Chamber for the Creative Industries – Presentation on current status and the way forward;

◆ New education curricula and its impact on the arts and culture sector; and

◆ Creative Industries Sector review,

The 2016 National Arts Indaba coincided with the validation exercise of the Zimbabwe’s inaugural Quadrennial Periodic Report on the 2005 UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.

Decidedly, the Indaba endorsed the report while at the same time provided critical information that was duly added to the report.

The 2005 Convention periodic report was co-ordinated by National Arts Council of Zimbabwe on behalf of the Ministry of Rural Development Promotion and Preservation of National Culture and Heritage.

The 2015 National Arts Council of Zimbabwe Annual Report presented by the Director of the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, Elvas Mari, had as its major highlights issues involving the non-availability of operational grant, plugging of loopholes through an annual audit, the council’s understaffed structure and the unprofessional manner in which the arts institutions tried to conduct business with NACZ.

Following the presentation, the ensuing discussion made the following recommendations: –

◆ The NACZ to formulate guidelines (template) on reporting by registered arts associations/institutions especially in light of the Quadrennial Report requirement on cultural information and data. Statistics are critical component in every facet of the economy and the creative sector is no exception;

◆ Establishing an apex body for the sector critical, particularly in light of the imminent adoption of the new Draft Arts, Cultural and Heritage Policy, a body that will articulate issues of the artists;

◆ The NACZ to undertake deliberate efforts to capacitate arts associations as a fundamental aspect of its mandate. Capacity-building could be in various forms that will grow the industries;

◆ The NACZ to lobby and advocate for the Duty-Free Facility to be widened in scope and cover all the genres of the arts. The current scope covering sound and broadcasting equipment is well appreciated;

◆ Lobbying Government to tax consumables used in the infringement of Intellectual Property Rights with the proceeds being ploughed into the development of the creative sector;

◆ The NACZ to apply for funding for programmes and activities designed to capacitate and empower the arts and culture sector; and

◆ Lobbying Government to set aside a percentage of corporate tax to fund the development of the arts and culture sector (creative industries).

The outgoing interim Chairperson of the Zimbabwe Chamber for Creative Industries, Albert Chimedza made a presentation on the process undertaken in setting up the Chamber after which he announced the voluntary resignation of the Interim Committee and handed over all the documentation to the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe.

Operating on an interim basis, the interim committee accomplished the following tasks:

◆ Production of a constitution replete with a vision, mission statement and a functional Facebook account (ZCCI);

◆ Membership criteria (that include even corporate organisations) less the setting up of applicable membership fees as this requires input from the membership; and

◆ Concretisation of the Chamber’s status as a business organisation for entrepreneurs in the creative industry while artists would form guilds to be part of the Chamber.

The presentation generated an intense debate that culminated in the following recommendations being made:

◆ Artists in their own right are business people and their inclusion in the Chamber is of paramount importance whether through guilds, associations or whatever status applicable;

◆ The Chamber must establish closing working relationships with Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Zimbabwe Chamber of Industry and Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce;

◆ Creation of ethical business standards by the Chamber that include collection of statistical data for use during engagement with Government;

◆ Radio stations, television stations, galleries, publishing houses and advertising agencies were all identified as critical members of the Chamber;

◆ It was agreed that whoever takes the Chamber forward needs to use the UNESCO 2013 definition of creative industries in widening the scope of the Chamber’s membership;

◆ Rigorous awareness campaigns through all forms of the media to announce the Chamber’s existence needs to be undertaken; and

◆ Participants overwhelmingly endorsed the existence of the Chamber calling upon the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe to incubate it for a reasonable period and formulate clear terms of reference for the incoming committee while facilitating full functionality of the Chamber.

Representing the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, Peter Muzawazi walked the participants through the curriculum review process that the Ministry is undertaking with a view of mainstreaming arts and culture education into the nation’s education trajectory.

Driven by the STEAM concept, the new education trajectory is premised on the following fundamental concepts and is a product of widespread and intensive consultations:

◆ Infusion of arts and culture issues in education from the lowest (ECD) to the highest level of education as cardinal learning areas;

◆ Phased implementation of the new curricula with initial phases being used as pilot cases where issues for refinement are picked and implemented in subsequent phases;

◆ Participation of arts and culture experts in the design and review of the syllabuses;

◆ Recognition of the arts and culture sector (creative sector) as a critical component of the country’s economy, hence the need for the education sector to fully recognise it;

◆ The curriculum review process is in sync with the efforts of the National Manpower Council (NAMACO)-driven initiative to introduce the trade testing concept in arts and culture education to cater for artists who fail to attain the magical five Ordinary Level passes; and

◆ Inclusion of Intellectual Property Rights was identified as critical learning area for school pupils.

The following issues were raised during the plenary session:

◆ Concern was raised about failure by artists to enter schools in pursuance of their professional operations;

◆ Without the requisite pedagogical skills to impart knowledge to school pupils, artists need to interact with teachers who will then teach children;

◆ Participants noted with grave concern the artificiality of the raising of entry qualifications into learning institutions, even into some secondary schools that hampers the education process of some students. Some entry qualifications demanded by education institutions are prohibitively high.

Linked to this fact is the issue of Mathematics and Science, subjects that may not be necessarily necessary to the education of artists;

◆ Schools and colleges were fingered as perennial actors in the infringement of Intellectual Property through rampant photocopying of books; and

◆ Concern was raised on the National Pledge’s lack of recitation in local languages yet it espouses Ubuntu/Hunhu the bedrock of arts and culture education.

The Indaba carried out a sectoral review that isolated challenges being experienced and the solutions to them. In addition, this introspection exercise gave the participants an opportunity to identify areas where they can participate in the furtherance of the sector’s aspirations and goals.

As a result the following recommendations were adopted at the 2016 Indaba:

Operationalise the Chamber through assistance of NACZ

Recognising the challenges that the interim committee presented to the Indaba leading to the disbandment of the committee, delegates agreed that the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe should take over and revive the efforts of establishing an apex body of the Arts. NACZ will co-ordinate and convene an all-stakeholder meeting to launch the ZCCI and handover the organisation to members.

Report activities of the

stakeholders to NACZ through

a clear format

There was consensus on the need to have co-ordinated information on the status of the creative industries in Zimbabwe.

Delegates agreed that one important method is that of submitting reports to NACZ of both activities and general annual reports. A template could be developed and circulated for adaptation.

Promote networking and

intensive information sharing

The creative industries should be alive to the benefits associated with collaborations, networking and information sharing.

The Indaba observed the need to close the gap between players and promote a culture of working together. The Delegates renewed the call of an apex body of the arts championed by either the Chamber or different body altogether.

Increase participation in the curriculum review as experts

Indaba recognised the importance of engaging the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in the wake of the new curriculum.

Delegates welcomed the opportunities so presented by the new curriculum and agreed to be pro-active on issues of training, capacity building and providing support services to schools. – Panorama Magazine.