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Date: 05/04/2006
Source: Ministry for Arts and Culture
Title: Creecy: UNICEF dinner in honour of Quincy Jones


  Address by MEC Barbara Creecy at UNICEF dinner in honour of Quincy Jones

The Minister of Arts and Culture Pallo Jordan,
The UNICEF representative to South Africa,
Mr Macharia Karmau, the President of the United State (US) Fund for UNICEF,
Mr Chip Lyons, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and key guest of honour, Mr Quincy Jones,
CEO of the Gauteng Film office, Mr Terry Tselane, The City Manager of Johannesburg, Mr Pascal Moloi,
Ladies and gentlemen,

It is indeed a privilege and honour to be present at this gathering, a gathering that is indeed made especially meaningful by the presence of United Nations Children’s’ Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador, Mr Quincy Jones - a revered artist in his own right and someone who has dedicated so much of his work to South Africa's pursuit for a just and equitable future for its youth. Mr Jones as the Gauteng province we welcome you and thank you.

The questions you have raised and the discussions you have engaged in are issues that the Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation have too been grappling with. HIV, crime, sexual violence, drug abuse and youth development.

The Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation have a clear role to play in addressing these issues. Traditionally our function has been thought of and has been confined to the arts being used as a tool to create and foster identity or to deepen democracy.

In keeping with this kind of thinking the Department has historically invested in developmental programs and talent identification. Simply put it filled a primary social function. It is an important function one that cannot be overstated but as research across the world has shown the arts or rather the creative industries are key components of regional and economic development.

The central role that creative industries can play in economic growth and our number one government priority of creating work and fighting poverty has been recognised by the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS) and by the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (AsgiSA).

As a provincial government we recognise that creative industries present important opportunities for job creation particularly amongst young people in our country both those who are talented artists or skilled technicians and for those without skills a group which other economic sectors find difficult to absorb.

In case there are colleagues here who feel I exaggerate the economic case for creative industries one needs only to point out that the Californian economy, based on the film industry of Hollywood, is the sixth largest in the world and were it an independent country it would count as one of the G7.

In recognition of their important economic potential the Department has recently launched its creative industries strategy which hopes to develop the creative industries to maximise their contribution to the economy, community development and urban regeneration.

In doing this we recognise that the creative industries fall largely outside government and that government's role is to more effectively support their development. In this regard the strategy aims to provide a coordinating framework for investment and implementation and to explicitly align creative industries activities with the Gauteng Growth and Development Strategy (GGDS).

As provincial government, we believe that the preconditions for success are already in place; Gauteng has the most well developed creative economy in the country and is home to the largest concentration of cultural enterprises in South Africa. Research conducted by Create-SA in 2003 showed that over 40 percent of all creative enterprises are found in the province. One of its major cities Johannesburg boasts the highest agglomeration of companies in many sectors of the creative industries. In addition Gauteng has substantial creative industry infrastructure, a vibrant creative arts community, well structured and well organised, music, film, television, radio, print, publishing and multimedia industries and has a world class technology and skilled technical people who service these industries.

The creative industries in Gauteng clearly present significant opportunities to contribute to economic and social objectives of the province. In order to realise this potential a clear, concise and practical strategic framework has been developed.

This framework will ensure that government, private sector investment and community resources are targeted along the value chain beginning with community based programmes that allow young people, particularly those from historically disadvantaged communities to participate in arts and cultural activities, through talent identification and development programmes which include administrative and management training and aftercare support to the financing of business initiatives as well as expanding markets and improving tourism linkages.

I therefore want to congratulate UNICEF, the organisers and sponsors of this programme for this pertinent and timely engagement around issues facing the youth and the entertainment industry and for the attention to this initiative and the visit of Mr Jones has brought.

Thank you.

Issued by: Ministry for Arts and Culture
5 April 2006
   

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