Revitalizing heritage, transforming Africa’s creative industries

Africa spends less than 0.03% on the creative industry. budget

On May 24, 2024, the historic Ras Makonnen Hall at Addis Ababa University was bustling with activity as it hosted an event to promote Ethiopia’s arts and culture sector. The occasion provided a significant boost to the Connect for Culture Africa (CfCA) initiative, a new regional project aimed at increasing cultural awareness and investment. The event, organized by Selam Ethiopia in partnership with the African Union’s Department of Culture and Sports, brought together key stakeholders from across the continent.

The main goal of the event was to support a five-year initiative dedicated to promoting culture and art at both regional and national levels. The aim of this multi-stakeholder network is to unite cultural advocates to highlight the benefits of investing in culture to support democratic, inclusive, peaceful and sustainable social and economic development.

The most important goal is to lobby African countries to allocate at least one percent of their national budgets to the arts, culture and heritage sectors by 2030.

The event focused on CfCA’s mission to promote the revised African Union (AU) Plan of Action for Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI). This AU initiative aims to strengthen African CCIs to enhance their contribution to sustainable development and enhance their social and economic impact. CfCA will work with government agencies, research institutions, universities, media, artists and civil society organizations to increase policy support for the sector.

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A recurring theme was the urgent need to lobby stakeholders for investment in policy, infrastructure, training and resources to support the growth and global reach of CCIs. Public and private financing was considered essential for the development of the sector. The event also highlighted the link between culture and the development of democracy, highlighting how cultural expression can support freedom of expression and social concern among the younger generation.

However, the sector’s potential is consistently relegated to the background in government budgets, leaving it neglected and overshadowed by other sectors that receive the lion’s share of attention.

Selam Ethiopia, a significant player in Ethiopia’s cultural transformation and a music recording center, has played a key role since its founding almost 20 years ago.

Teshome Wondimu, founder and executive director of Selam Ethiopia, expressed concerns about the sector being undervalued as a vital component of national economies. He highlighted the myriad challenges facing the sector, noting that many African countries have been largely overlooked.

“We have learned that this sector enjoys little recognition from African countries. To address this issue, we launched a pilot project with four countries – Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe – to discuss these issues. Discussions revealed a lack of adequate data on how the industry is managed, budget allocation and use of allocated funds,” Teshome said. Reporter.

He stressed the need for comprehensive data to support advocacy efforts. “We have initiated primary research in these four countries to gather more information and plan to advocate for better budget allocation.”

Ambassadors from the four pilot countries were invited to the event to highlight the importance of this sector. Teshome stressed that lobbying for investment in policy, infrastructure, training and resources is crucial to supporting the local development and international reach of CCIs.

Given Ethiopia’s rich cultural heritage and artistic talent, it is critical for the government to integrate the sector into the broader economy and bring it to the global stage, with investment being a key factor, according to him.

“Both public and private funds are crucial to the development of the cultural and creative sectors. To support a sustainable, creative economy, government leaders must not only invest but also engage in dialogue with the private sector to secure further investment and financing,” Teshome said.

He says the government should develop policies to regulate the sector, open up cultural and creative industries, organize professional associations and support the private sector. Teshome believes that these steps will help transform this sector into a thriving industry.

The event marked a significant step towards recognizing and investing in Africa’s cultural and creative industries, setting the stage for a more inclusive and sustainable future.

SisayMengeste, Program Director at Selam Ethiopia, described “Selam” as a vibrant and empowering initiative that brings to life Ethiopia’s rich traditions by uniting cultures and fostering creativity across borders. Despite these efforts, Sisay expressed concern about the lack of sufficient funding from international organizations for Ethiopia’s arts and culture sector.

“Even though Ethiopia is characterized by a vibrant culture and artistic creativity, it is not an exaggeration to say that the sector is struggling to obtain funding from any external sources,” he noted.

Sisay highlighted that organizations like Selam, which operate on minimal budgets, raise funds through various initiatives to support the Ethiopian arts and cultural industry. He noted that Selam receives funding from organizations based in Sweden due to its strong connections with the Swedish government.

He attributed the funding shortfall to political “neglect” by local, regional and global governments. “Even with the sector’s enormous potential, the economic contribution of arts and culture is highly neglected at local, regional and also global levels,” he explained.

Sisay pointed out that the Ethiopian government, like many other governments around the world, lacks the awareness and political will to support the arts sector, unlike other sectors such as education and health that benefit from well-designed policies.

“The event on May 24 was a publicly funded event intended to raise awareness,” he said. “When allocating the budget for the financial year, the amount contributed to the sector is almost negligible at just 0.03%. “Moreover, since this sector is part of an income-generating industry for the country, we have initiated a proposal for each African government, including the Ethiopian government, to allocate one percent of its annual budget to the arts and culture sector.”

While Sisay admitted it was too early to predict the outcome of this request to the government, he stressed the importance of continuing to raise awareness and advocate for the necessary support.

While this is the first time that regional authorities in Africa have been asked to increase their budget allocation to 1 percent by 2030, the CfCA Joint Initiative has previously carried out various studies on how to improve the sector. This research highlighted the importance of the sector for cultural development, democracy, economic growth, freedom of expression and job creation.

YitsmaTsege, a cultural expert and researcher, participated in the creation of the CfCA budget request initiative and researched its development. It says the initiative aims to increase the budget allocations of AU member countries as a result of comprehensive research on current allocations and their effectiveness.

Yitsma noted that for the past three years she has been examining the Ethiopian government’s budget allocation for arts and culture and the challenges associated with it. The study shows that the allocated budget is less than 0.03 percent, which is insufficient to support the sector and transform it into a revenue-generating industry.

“The improvement will enhance the important benefits of the sector and its contribution to the country’s economic and cultural growth, while showcasing to the world the diverse areas of the sector found in Africa,” he said. Reporter.

As a result, respondents unanimously agreed that the CfCA initiative will significantly strengthen the role of CCIs in promoting sustainable development. By increasing visibility and investment in these industries, the initiative aims to create more job opportunities, protect cultural heritage and stimulate economic growth.

According to UN report estimates, creative industries are responsible for 3.1%. world GDP, generate annual revenues of over two trillion dollars and support almost 50 million jobs around the world. The report also shows that around half of these workers are women, and these industries employ more people aged 15-29 than any other sector.