Copyright body undertakes integrated arts development
In an effort to revitalise the country’s arts industry and turn it into an economic engine, Copyright Society of Malawi (Cosoma) has embarked on a programme called Integrated Arts Development.
For many years, the country’s arts industry comprising music, film and drama has been facing challenges ranging from piracy to lack of markets and fresh strategies to overcoming them. This had had a devastating impact on social and economic status of artists and the arts and cultural sectors as a whole.
Therefore, Integrated Arts Development Programme is government’s plan aimed at uplifting and rethinking the direction of the country’s arts industry. It is supported by development partners such as Norwegian Embassy.
Cosoma’s senior licensing officer Rosario Kamanga said all of the components of the programme were rolled out late last year.
“The whole idea of the Integrated Arts Development Programme is to develop the country’s arts industries with new strategies. Basically, this time around we are integrating issues to effectively come up a solution to the many challenges facing the country’s artists and arts and cultural industries,” said Kamanga.
According to Kamanga, the Integrated Arts Development Programme has four components namely: establishment of arts academy, National Arts and Heritage Council, arts savings and credit cooperatives, and production and marketing cooperatives.
“Meanwhile, two regional consultative meetings on the establishment of the National Arts and Heritage Council have already been conducted in the Southern and Northern regions. A drawing of the arts academy , which will be constructed behind Cosoma offices in Lilongwe has also been done,” said Kamanga.
He added that the board of the Production and Marketing Cooperative which has Film Association of Malawi president Ezaius Mkandawire and Wycliffe Chimwendo as chairman and vice, was set up in November last year.
Malawi Writers Union (Mawu) President Mike Tsambalikagwa Mvona is chairing the establishment of arts savings and credit cooperatives.
