Africa's creative economy has a handover problem
Across Africa's creative economy, the challenge is no longer simply generating value, but keeping responsibility connected as that value moves. Collen Dlamini argues that growth will mean little unless institutions stay connected to creators and the value their work generates.
On the first day of the Creative Cnergy Policy and Investment Symposium in Sandton, Unathi Lutshaba of the South African Cultural Observatory highlighted the economic significance of South Africa's creative and sports industries, which are worth approximately 271 billion rand ($17 billion) and support 1.4 million jobs. Professor Pitika Ntuli, an artist and cultural thinker, then posed the question of what happens when a nation's memory becomes an economy.
The symposium aimed to get government and business to acknowledge creativity as a living cultural force that allows a nation to remember itself, imagine its future, and create material value. However, it became clear that South Africa has institutions capable of funding projects, approving incentives, and protecting copyright, but the real issue lies in the handover from one responsibility to the next.
Artists may receive early funding but may lack a clear path to the next stage, and a problem affecting one creative business can span several government departments, leaving producers to determine where responsibility lies. This issue was intended to be exposed by Creative Cnergy, as it brought together government, funders, investors, and creatives to discuss how decisions in one sector affect others.
South Africa's case serves as a precedent, but the issue is continental, as creative businesses increasingly navigate culture, trade, technology, and finance simultaneously, while public institutions still tend to address them one mandate at a time.
Written by urgent.news from Africa Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
