The 18-paged Cultural Policy: What it will do

Genre : Society news
Principal country concerned : Column : Arts and crafts
Release/publication date : February 2015
Published on : 02/04/2015
Source : http://timesmediamw.com/the-18-paged-cultural-policy-what-it-will-do/


It has been a long journey for the arts industry in the country. The past years the industry has journeyed in troubled waters, artists have cried for years in the absence of the Cultural Policy.



But thank God after years of crying and years of the media touching on the element, the Cultural Policy was approved by the cabinet committee clearing the way for the creative industry to now start dreaming in colour.



The past years governments have come and gone with so many promises being made on the Cultural Policy which after 50 years finally has seen the light of the day.



The 18 page Cultural Policy has several important elements that will help move the cultural industry to the top and help develop the country on top of helping develop the tourism sector which is now being given the much needed attention as part of developing Malawi's economy.



Minister of Information, Tourism and Culture Kondwani Nankhumwa says culture is the centre point of "our co-existence with other human beings in our communities, outside our communities as well as with our environment."



He notes that culture dictates our attitude and perception on life in general adding that among others, it is exemplified by national monuments, artefacts, relics, museums and cultural expressions including: music, folklore, crafts, the fine arts and traditional dances, language, literature and religion.



He goes further to say that culture is crucial for poverty reduction, sustainable socioeconomic development, increased sense of national identity and unity as well as any other human endeavours.



"Malawi has a rich and diverse tangible and intangible cultural heritage. There are several distinct ethnic communities in Malawi and each possesses unique sets of cultural practices, beliefs and values," says Nakhumwa.



The minister however, notes that with the increased influence of globalisation and foreign cultural practices and norms, in addition to Malawi's transition to democratic ideals, different indigenous cultural practices risk being forgotten or exploited.



"So we are happy that the Cultural Policy has been approved as it seeks to put in place measures that will ultimately translate to sustainable revitalisation, preservation, conservation and promotion of Malawi's cultural heritage for posterity, education and socio-economic purposes," says Nankhumwa.



He adds that this policy has been developed in response to national efforts contained in the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy II (MGDS II) to promote culture as a main contributor to tourism development.



"The MGDS II expressly notes the need to institute measures that will translate into improved preservation of Malawi's cultural heritage and values, increased promotion and development of Malawi's culture. The policy also takes into account Vision 20:20 that calls for vibrant culture by the year 2020," says the minister.



Having come this far, Nankhumwa says the government is committed to seeing to it that this policy is implemented for the best interest of all Malawians. However, he said the government realises that this dream cannot be achieved without the support of all stakeholders, including the general public, civil society organisations and development partners.



"We, therefore, appeal to all stakeholders to join hands with government in this noble mission of promoting our culture so that together we continue, "walking in our fore-fathers' footprints as we are imprinting steps for our descendants," he said.



Principal Secretary in the ministry Elsie Tembo says the government has mainstreamed culture in MGDS II and that it earmarks culture as an important asset for sustainable socio-economic and tourism development.



"The inclusion of culture in the MGDS II shows government's commitment to develop and promote Malawi's cultural heritage for sustainable socio-economic development," she says.



Tembo further says that culture has in recent times been at the centre of international discourse on sustainable economic development.



"It has been observed that culture, like climate and environment, plays an important role in influencing government's development decisions and needs to be taken into consideration," she said.



The policy



Ethno-musician Waliko Makhala says he sees a lot of things changing for the better for the creative industry with the approval of the policy.



Writing in his column recently, Makhala who has been in the industry for years said he expects to see a lot of things changing including setting up of the Presidential Initiative on Arts for artists to benefit.



The approval of the policy formally establishes the mechanism that Malawi must follow to adequately fulfill its programme to promote and preserve Malawi's cultural heritage.



The policy further seeks to align the activities of the Department of Culture and the entire cultural sector with the priority areas set by the government in MGDS II. The MGDS II considers culture as an important springboard for tourism and economic development.



The policy also takes into cognisance that culture cuts across other MGDS II priority areas such as: Education, Science and Technology, Agriculture, Industry Development, Health, HIV and Aids, Gender, climate change, and Integrated Rural Development.



What will the Cultural Policy do?



Director of Culture Elizabeth Gomani Chindebvu says the approval of the Cultural Policy is the first process but rather there has to be implementation which needs efforts from all the stakeholders.



She said the Cultural Policy will, therefore, put in place guidelines that will ensure that Malawi's cultural heritage is effectively preserved, conserved and promoted for posterity, unity, identity building, and socio-economic development.



She says the policy will lay down strategies for ensuring sustainable availability of financial resources to support development in the cultural sector.



Among others the strategies coming up after the implementation of the policy include the establishment of an Arts and Culture fund within two years of its implementation and establishment of a National Arts and Heritage Council to be responsible for mobilising and managing resources for activities and projects to be carried out by players in the cultural industry.



The policy will also seek to harness roles of various stakeholders in the cultural sector and ensure equitable distribution of benefits from cultural sites among all stakeholders.



The policy also further reiterates the country's HIV and Aids commitment to join global efforts of upholding culture and cultural diversity.



In the document, the government admits that the policy gap has resulted in poor development of the cultural support infrastructure to promote the development of arts and culture and that this has resulted in the absence of a conducive environment for the exposition of various aspects of the Malawian culture for socio-economic benefits to the concerned actors in particular, and the country in general.



With the Cultural Policy now in place, Malawi can now join the rest of the other countries that it has the document in place.



Musicians Union of Malawi (Mum) President Reverend Chimwemwe Mhango says that life has been difficult for the body in the past years during meetings outside the country where Malawi has been among the few countries without the policy.



The presence of the cultural policy is also expected to strengthen the coordination of efforts of all players in the cultural industry. In so doing, consensus shall be reached on the direction to be taken in promoting the performance of various actors in the sector.



In addition, there shall also be uniform direction and one reference point towards achieving a common set of goals for the development of the country through culture.



The policy will also create a sense of belonging among stakeholders and actors thereby ensuring sustainable development of the cultural sector.



The policy is also expected to guide the development and amendment of pieces of legislation and articulate legal and regulatory framework in the industry through systematic review processes.



Some of the policy outcomes that the government anticipates in the five years of its implementation include increased consideration of cultural heritage in developmental programmes and policies; increased access, protection and promotion of tangible and intangible cultural heritage including local languages.



National Arts and Heritage Council



According to the document, the National Arts and Heritage Council (NAHeC) will need to be established. Apart from the National Arts and Heritage Council, the document will also help in the establishment of a Cultural Trust Fund.



With many arts associations receiving no funding and relying heavily from donor funds, the establishment of the Cultural Trust will help in generating funds for the different associations.



Many artists are confused with the policy, the National Arts and Heritage Council will be established by an Act of Parliament and this is to develop and promote Malawi's cultural and creative industries.



The policy says that once established, the National Arts and Heritage Council will be the operational arm of the policy responsible for programming and coordination of some key stakeholders particularly non state actors.



Some of the work for the National Arts and Heritage Council will be to develop and implement a cultural industry development programme as well as develop and implement a resource mobilisation strategy for the cultural sector.



The body which is expected to be a parastatal organisation will also support organisations and individuals engaged in the arts and heritage with financial resources, technical support and information.

Partners

  • Arterial network
  • Media, Sports and Entertainment Group (MSE)
  • Gens de la Caraïbe
  • Groupe 30 Afrique
  • Alliance Française VANUATU
  • PACIFIC ARTS ALLIANCE
  • FURTHER ARTS
  • Zimbabwe : Culture Fund Of Zimbabwe Trust
  • RDC : Groupe TACCEMS
  • Rwanda : Positive Production
  • Togo : Kadam Kadam
  • Niger : ONG Culture Art Humanité
  • Collectif 2004 Images
  • Africultures Burkina-Faso
  • Bénincultures / Editions Plurielles
  • Africiné
  • Afrilivres

With the support of