Grant the creatives their prayer

In January 2019, I presented an entry on a subject matter that I have been forced to resubmit today.

It is not common that some issues recycle themselves to re-emerge in a similar or improved version and find shelter in some corner of this space. Again, it is not for lack of options on subjects that I could have opined on.

In recent months, the local creative industry has provided a lot of fodder for debates and conversations. One can’t certainly lack where to fall in view of such plenty options. Talk of being spoilt for choice.

There have been developments and elements inside the week that you even chose to look away from because of the considered personal nature of the issues.  But trust me, one day we will still have to bring these issues up as they border on mental health rest we watch until the actors plunge into self-destruction mode.    

Dear readers, bear with me, the matter at hand much has it has been long-drawn-out, but its importance and urgency hasn’t waned. The local creative world is crying and pleading for the establishment of the promised National Art and Heritage Council (Nahec). 

In 2015, the National Cultural Policy was approved and it brought overwhelming hope that finally the much-awaited Nahec will see the light of day. After that the National Arts and Cultural Heritage Council Bill was enacted to facilitate for the operationisation of the policy.

Then, it looked like steady progress was being made and those involved had every reason to hope. But somewhere, on the way to heaven, something happened. The efforts to speed the process and get things done on the ground stunted.

What followed was a silence that seemed not to suggest any meaningful direction in as far as the establishment of the council is concerned. Meanwhile, in the background the creatives were getting agitated and the voices of frustration, though not as sustainable became audible.

In the same year, a group of creatives presented a petition to Parliament with the hope of forcing lawmakers to prioritise the establishment of the council. But even then, those efforts yielded nothing.

In between that time and now, understandably there has been issues within the artists as a section of them were not comfortable with the combination of art and heritage under one roof. To an extent, that was blamed for delaying the whole process as well.

Considering the time the whole process has taken, to pin the delays in coming up with the council on these excuses would be too flimsy. Someone, somewhere has not done his job right.

There has been a common belief that a Bill on the same was drafted, but my interactions with the Ministry of Justice revealed that no Bill related to Nahec is available in their office. All they received was instructions from the line ministry to start the process of drafting the Bill.

This is in stark contrast to what Minister of Tourism, Culture and Wldlife Michael Usi and the Nahec task force told the media few months ago. The scenario paints a very confusing picture as to who is fooling who here.

According to Ministry of Justice spokesperson Pirirani Masanjala, the process of coming up with the Bill will require the active involvement of the line ministry, in this instance, it is Usi and his charges at Capital Hill that deserve to take all the flak.

If this is truest version of the matter then you are tempted to think that the latest petition that the creatives delivered to Parliament on Monday was misdirected. Wouldn’t it have been more direct if the artists had taken their petition to Usi’s office?

Maybe the next course of action that the artists should make is to seek an audience with Usi and representatives from the Ministry of Justice where they should have an honest conversation on the status quo and what needs to be done.

If the industry should win, they will only do so with the honest help from all stakeholders involved. The petitions alone won’t do it for them. Upon being appointed as minister, in his first interviews, Usi mentioned the establishment of the council as one of his priorties.

His tenure in the office and the legacy he will leave behind may somehow be defined based on what comes of his promise. I hope he remembers that.