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| Entertainment |
| Players want arts policy |
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by
Rabecca Theu, 02 May 2006
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08:05:32
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Like a blind man searching for his way without a guide, so is the going for arts and culture bodies in the country. Unlike other sectors which have national policies to guide and regulate their activities, this industry is like a stray dog.
This, industry players observe, is the major reason why the arts and culture industry has seen little development over the years.
Artists mourn that lack of a policy for culture has rendered them helpless in financial issues as well as infrastructural provisions from government; thereby oppressing an already weak but important area of society.
“Absence of this policy is making it difficult to put in place an Arts Council that can regulate operations of culture, and as such, it has proven difficult to get support from government. Worse still, the arts and culture fraternity just operates without a clear direction because there are no guiding rules,” explains Theatre Association of Malawi president Gertrude Kamkwatira.
She adds that an Arts Council would have made it easier for artists to get financial allocations from government and have their concerns voiced out.
In an interview with Chill, Minister of Culture Jaffali Mussa, agrees that absence of the policy has affected the development of the country’s arts and culture.
“Although we have been operating on what the ministry knows to be right, it cannot be argued that there has been a gap that really demands guidelines. You may also note that while other countries have what is solely considered their culture, we just have some traditions that we look at and associate with our culture. This is not enough in defining a culture for a country,” he says.
Mussa adds that even what are said to be the country’s traditions are being watered down by those from elsewhere. There are also fears that the younger generation may not learn what their culture is all about and those who know may easily forget since there is no policy to preserve what is Malawian.
“Unless we have these things in black and white, our children are not safe culturally. We want them to be in a position to tell about their culture in 100 years to come. In other words, we need to preserve our culture, know its values and have people associate Malawians with a culture of their own,” he says.
Director of Culture in the ministry Elizabeth Gomani says the drafted policy is already with the Office of President and Cabinet (OPC) but is not sure on the duration it will take before cabinet approves it.
“We sent the policy to OPC in December last year after wide consultations in all angles of arts and culture. The policy has, therefore, taken into account the needs and requirements of all forms of arts and culture and once it are approved, we expect that arts and culture will be in a position to develop and improve,” she says.
Gomani adds that wooing support from donors for the department of arts and culture has been a big problem as most donors demand a policy before they can offer aid.
OPC’s Director of Public Relations Mike Kamwendo confirmed that the policy is with cabinet, but said he does not know when the policy would be approved.
“Our records show that the said policy is here, it will be discussed by cabinet, and it may pass depending on the cabinet’s resolution on the policy,” he says.
Artists in the country have for a long time been calling on government to intervene in the development of arts and culture. Some have accused government of sidelining the sector on issues of development and making pledges to the sector it does not keep.
For instance, four years ago, government pledged to build a multi-purpose, multi-million kwacha, multi-cultural theatre in Blantyre, a pledge that has not come to fruition.
Since independence, government has not built entertainment infrastructures in Blantyre, the most culturally active city in the country. This, they argue, leads to continued poor performance of the industry.
Deputy Director of Arts and Culture in the ministry Bernard Kwilimbe agrees that lack of a cultural policy has been a thorn in the operations of the department. He, however, expresses hope that since the drafted policy is with cabinet, arts and culture will soon be prioritised once the policy is approved.
“I am praying that let culture be high on the agenda of cabinet,” he says.
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