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Stephen Chifunyise Own Correspondent
There is no doubt that in Zimbabwe today every development sector is being challenged to contribute to the sustainable socio-economic transformation of the country that has been articulated by the national economic development blue print — the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation. Players in the various sections of the cultural sector are equally expected to consider what they are doing in their activity cluster to contribute to the attainment of the objectives of Zim-Asset.

Many practitioners in the performing arts sector have indicated their involvement in activities that meet what is required to be achieved through two Zim-Asset clusters: value addition and beneficiation cluster and the social services and poverty eradication cluster.

It has been stressed that through their creativity, performing artists are adding value and beneficiating the nation’s cultural heritage by producing a variety of performing arts goods that are consumed at various arts and culture festivals, concerts, national celebratory events, night clubs, social and religious ceremonies and worship occasions.

Performing arts goods such as live music performances and recordings are exported by various performing arts groups that are touring the world as well as being marketed through the internet.

Through the utilisation of the existing opportunities and spaces for creating the required performing arts products, the performing arts sector has become a major contributor not just to employment creation and income generation but also to poverty eradication .

Performing arts are also vital assets in the development of the leisure and entertainment industry and are becoming essential tourism products that enhance the attractiveness of Zimbabwe as a tourism destination.

If effectively exploited by the tourism sector the 40 or so arts and culture festivals that are held throughout the year in different parts of country become the most sustainable tourism product.

The performing arts sector is also a major enhancer of social cohesion and a major contributor to the improvement of the country’s image.

Increased production of performing arts goods is not only a significant effort at satisfying the objectives of Zim-Asset as reflected in the two clusters, it is also an example of areas that require the adoption of the implementation strategies articulated in the national economic blue-print which include:

Rehabilitation and upgrading of infrastructure and utilities that are critical for value addition and beneficiation processes;

Funding public utilities and other social amenities in communities with the intention of creating employment for youth and improving standards of living of the populace;

Establishment of special economic zones;

Improving the production and export of goods and services through value addition and beneficiation.

There are many challenges inhibiting not only the growth of the performing arts sector but also its expected contribution to the effective implementation of Zim-Asset. Performing arts products of music, dance and theatre are being created in many spaces which many performing arts practitioners are finding hard to access.

It is either these utilities and amenities are priced beyond the reach of many performing arts groups or that authorities can no longer avail to the performing arts sector the infrastructure that was initial built for purposes of promoting the creation, production, exhibition, presentation and consumption of a wide diversity of performing arts products.

In Harare, for example, many community halls in townships and suburbs which soon after independence in 1980 were community bases for the creation, production and consumption of dance, music and theatre productions are no longer accessible to performing arts groups in these townships and suburbs. Equally inaccessible are halls in schools and colleges. These facilities were the major facilitators of a vibrant community theatre movement in the early 80s that development a viable country wide performing arts tour enterprise.

The many performing arts groups and bands that now compete with church organisations to access to the Harare Gardens have found the completion for these amenities unhealthy and the conditions for the hire of these facilities unattainable .

The recent closure of the Book Café in Harare was tantamount to a closure of a vital asset for the creation, production and presentation of performing arts products of both amateur and professional groups.

Many people in the cultural sector could believe that this facility that had become Harare’s prestigious creative hub and a viable destination for tourists seeking cultural entertainment and an exposure to local cultural heritage could be allowed to close.

It was clear to everyone familiar with the activities of the performing arts sector in the capital city that the Book Café had become a central meeting place for a wide diversity of artists and other cultural workers; a place for art exhibition and book market; an arts and culture convention centre; a place for exchange of ideas critical in the growing and development of the cultural and creative industries; a place for the creation, production, distribution, presentation and consumption of a wide diversity of our cultural expressions .

It could not be understood whether both the Government and the Harare City Council did not realise that the Book Café had become an important cultural hub that is a very good candidate for special tax concessions and economic incentives.

With regard to strategies in Zim-Asset, the Book Café, the Harare Gardens and the entire city of Bulawayo should receive the special economic zone status, in this case as a special creative economic zone.

The Zim-Asset stated strategy of rehabilitating and upgrading of infrastructure and utilities that are critical for value addition and beneficiation process should have been applied in the case of the Book Café.

There is no doubt that the performing arts sector is an essential tool in urban regeneration and in the creation of opportunities for active engagement of young population in our cities in employment creation and income generation.

It was fascinating to note, quite recently, the concerns of both city council authorities and Government that led to establishment of special spaces for vendors to ensure that they continue to be offered opportunities for income generation. The question is what it takes for cultural sector players to receive such consideration from both Government and local authorities.

When the National Sports Stadium was being constructed in the early 80s, promoters of arts and culture in the then Ministry of Youth, Sport, Recreation and Culture were pacified by the indication that the stadium would be for sports and cultural development and that there were spaces in the stadium that could accommodate activities in the creation, production and presentation of the arts.

Indeed, in the early years after the National Sports Stadium was opened, the Government availed spaces that were used as offices for secretariats of national arts and culture associations as well for creation, production and presentation of performing arts products.

This was considered a significant policy of indirectly providing grants and subsidies to national arts, culture and sport association. Few years later, came a policy that was responsible for denying access by arts, culture and sports associations to the many spaces in the stadium .

It is clear that there is an urgent need for a mechanism or platform for the performing arts sector to engage both Government and local authorities on how existing spaces, utilities and social amenities can be easily accessible to the performing arts players for the purpose of enhancing the creation, production, presentation and consumption of performing arts goods and services in line with the Zima-Sset strategy of “funding public utilities and other social amenities in communities with the intention of creating employment for youth and improving the standard of living of the populace”.

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