Some of the challenges being faced in the arts industry will soon become an issue of the past if government maintains the pace on its support to promote arts through the adoption of the Cultural Policy.
Progress made on the much talked about Cultural Policy gives hope that it will be adopted soon.
Minister of Tourism, Wildlife and Culture Moses Kunkuyu told The Nation that the policy will be submitted to Cabinet for adoption anytime soon.
“The Cultural Policy had to go through necessary steps as a procedure and I am happy to inform the nation that the responsible office at this stage has assured us that the policy will be ready for submission to Cabinet soon. Government has a fully functional department within the ministry that looks into arts and they are working tirelessly on the policy,” he said.
The Nation
has established that the policy passed through all the stages and what remains is for it to be submitted to Cabinet for adoption.
During a consultation meeting held in Blantyre in October last year, Elizabeth Gomani-Chindebvu, director of culture in the ministry, pledged that the policy would be launched this month with implementation starting next month.
Ministry spokesperson Chrissie Chiumia said her office finished its work on the draft policy.
“We did our part and submitted the draft policy sometime back, but there were some areas that needed to be reworked. Together with the Policy Section at OPC, we worked on the areas after the consultation meetings we had in Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu in October 2013. We finished this work a month ago,” she said.
If adopted, the Cultural Policy will, among others, provide for the setting up of the National Arts and Heritage Council which will empower and involve arts and cultural groups and provide a framework in whcih the sector will function.
