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Uganda's creative industry picking up
L-R: Mr Raymond Malinga, the CEO of Kiroho Animation, Mr Troyy Elimu, Fashion Designer and Founder of Denim Cartel and Mr Timothy Bhatia Cofounder of Bantu Vibes and Brand Manager at Next Media during a panel discussion at Motiv on May 25, 2024. PHOTO/GLORIA IRANKUNDA
What you need to know:
- According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) report, Arts, Entertainment and Recreation services' contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased to 4.1 percent in FY 2022/2023 from 2.2 percent in FY 2021/ 2022.
Individuals in the creative industry have highlighted growth in their field. This was during Creative Central, an event meant to showcase Uganda's creative sector at Motiv Creation in Kampala on May 25.
Mr Ivan Sawajje, the brand manager at Motiv, noted that collaboration among creatives has helped them see what other people in the industry are doing and share ideas about business management and development.
"For so long creatives have been brushed under the carpet as people that just create and do not contribute to the entire ecosystem. But with them together, they get to form businesses that are sustainable and then they are looked at as real businesses, something we did not have before, " Mr Sewajje explained.
Economic empowerment
Mr Sewajje said that creatives can now take charge and create businesses that make money out of the industry.
"People were not looking at art and creativity before as a meaningful venture in terms of money. You would have to be a business manager to make money out of the creative industry. But now what we are seeing in terms of the economic shift, these guys are able to now make their own businesses sustainable, hence making an economic value, " Mr Sewajja noted.
According to Mr Sewajja since 2019, about 20,000 people in different creative disciplines like fashion have benefited from interventions such as market days and skilling programs at Motiv.
"Starting from market penetration, people need to know where to sell. So, we give access to markets at Motiv and here, each market day has around 300 vendors and those already in the world of work have been given access to a market, they are now working and making money," he shared.
However, Mr Sewajja noted that young creatives ought to equip themselves with business management skills like accountability, people management, managing profits and losses in order to thrive.
Mr Timothy Bhatia, Co-founder of Bantu Vibes and Brand Manager at Next Media stressed that through collaboration creatives can impact communities positively.
"As Bantu Vibes, we have been able to partner with multiple companies, for example, Smirnoff and Bell, doing their Nyege Nyege activations. In such a setting and we are able to provide a platform for many creators who are looking for such stages to reach people,” Mr Bhatia said.
Mr Bhatia noted that some of the challenges faced by creatives include lack of access to high-level creation environments, tools, like computers and drones and being able balance between being a creative and doing something else.
Mr Ramond Malinga, CEO of Kiroho Animation said it is important to be optimistic and consistent in the creative industry, saying this opens up one’s mind to ideas that can be adopted by many.
“Our studio's mantra is the audacity to dream and it is something that is very necessary. Everything does not work until it does, so you have to move with audacity, " he advised.
According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) report, Arts, Entertainment and Recreation services' contribution to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased to 4.1 percent in FY 2022/2023 from 2.2 percent in FY 2021/ 2022.
The size of the economy in nominal terms increased to Shs184,895 billion FY 2022/2023 from Shs162,750 billion in FY 2021/2022.
