Govt unveils reports on state of creative sector
Dance n Beat cultural troupe recently when they performed in a cultural event Kampala. The youth have turned their talent into a money minting venture. PHOTO/ISAAC SSEJOMBWE
What you need to know:
- The Unesco-Aschberg Project, led by Amos Tindyebwa, a cultural policy expert, focused on enhancing the status of artist[e]s and culture professionals after the pandemic
The Gender, Labour and Social Development ministry, in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), has unveiled two critical reports on the state of the creative industry post the Covid-19 pandemic.
The two reports, highlighting the dire socio-economic status of artistes, digital skills gaps amongst industry practitioners and recommendations for new policies, are a result of two joint projects—the Unesco-Aschberg Project and the Digital Open Roadmap Project, which have been running simultaneously over the past year.
The Unesco-Aschberg Project, led by Amos Tindyebwa, a cultural policy expert, focused on enhancing the status of artist[e]s and culture professionals after the pandemic. This involved an extensive examination of legal, policy, and regulatory frameworks within the cultural sector. The project’s outcomes include a detailed baseline study on the socio-economic conditions of artist[e]s post-pandemic and recommendations for policy reform.
Meanwhile, the Digital Open Roadmap Project, spearheaded by Polly Kamukama, a lecturer of performing arts at Makerere University, is geared towards supporting beneficiary countries in implementing benchmarking activities outlined in Unesco’s 2019 Open Roadmap framework. This initiative specifically targets the improvement of digital skills among audiovisual industry practitioners.
Achievements of this project, include a comprehensive baseline study on digital skill gaps, and the successful execution of a nationwide capacity-building programme, benefitting more than 600 industry stakeholders.
“We will continue to work with Unesco and other international partners as well as local stakeholders to implement the recommendations of these reports in line with global and national development goals,” Ms Peace Mutuuzo, the junior Gender and Culture minister, said on Thursday.
Uganda in 2015 ratified the 2005 Unesco Convention, the foremost international statute on cultural governance and the backdrop for the two projects. It, thereby, tied itself to the statute’s provisions, including an obligation for member states to uphold freedom of expression and economic rights for artistes.
Ms Mutuuzo was quick to point out the fact that the government has previously passed laws and implemented incentives to support the local arts industry.
“Recent efforts,” she said, “include a review of the 2006 national cultural policy, the launch of a film fund and establishment of the National Cultural Forum, an umbrella body for artists.”
On top of the projects, government has regularly partnered with Unesco over the years to implement development projects for the local cultural sector.
These include a recent joint project with the European Union that proposed a new policy framework for the film industry. Yet the state of Uganda’s cultural industry pales in comparison to the glowing global sector statistics, which indicate that the industry accounts for more than 30 million jobs globally, employing more people aged between 15 and 29 more than any other sector.
Unfavourable regulatory frameworks, inadequate funding and limited skills amongst practitioners are among a host of challenges that have long prevented the local sector from realising its full potential.
Judy Ogana, Unesco’s regional programme officer for East Africa, is nonetheless hopeful the two reports will go a long way in addressing some of these gaps.
