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SA: Nathi Mthethwa: Address by Minister of Arts and Culture, at the BASA Business Breakfast, The Orbit, Johannesburg (26/05/2015)

Nathi Mthethwa
Photo by Duane Daws
Nathi Mthethwa

26th May 2015

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Chairman of BASA Mr Kwanele Gumbi, 
Business executives
BASA CEO Michelle Constandt
Artists & special guests
Ladies & Gentlemen

We gather here this morning to highlight and celebrate the intuitive link between business and the arts. The arts are a serious business.

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What we have set out to achieve is deepening of mutual understanding to working together in the art of leadership – building business and arts alliances.

This happens in the inaugural year of African Month – the Festival of Ideas & Cultural Exchange. Our primary aim has been to pay special focus on the role of arts, culture and heritage in building bridges among all the people who belong, live work here.

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This is a significant milestone in our efforts to build a better country and a better continent.

South African arts have played an important role in the consolidation of our freedom and democracy. It is a good development that, in its own way, business has been doing the same, especially in the last 21 years.

Increasingly, business is inclined to use the arts as a catalyst for change and transformation.

Over the last few months, the arts and culture sector has claimed the space to organise itself. They have, finally, succeeded to mobilise for a solid and coherent organization that will express their aspirations and engage both business and government about their needs.

Above all, the advent of the Creative & Cultural Industries Federation of South Africa is, importantly, to give a coherent voice to the sector.

It is to unite all artists in rural and urban areas across provinces, languages and cultures and to fight against gross exploitation.

This will, eventually, lead to the eradication of poverty and unemployemnt among artists and give birth to a prosperous society and a productive artistic life.

In its own way, the advent of CCIFSA reminds all of us that the business of art leadership is for each and every one of us to play our role in nation building and social cohesion. Our ultimate goal as a society is a just and equal society. The Africa we all want is one that is at peace with itself.

We celebrate the inaugural Africa Month – the Festival of Ideas as we begin the third decade of democracy and freedom towards radical economic transformation. We are serious about the business of the arts.

As we acknowledge and recognize the value of the partnership between business and the arts, let us recommit ourselves to using the sector as an instrument to boldly assert our African identity.

Let us encourage our artists in all genres to use their talent and skills to promote peace and friendship from Cape to Cairo.

Whatever we do and wherever we are, let us provide the material resources to encourage and affirm the arts sector. They are the custodians of the nation’s soul.

As government, we remain committed to creating an enabling environment.

The artistic community are the ones we have been waiting for. They must tell the stories of those who fought for freedom and economic justice. They must be supported to tell the stories of those who paved the way for the present and the future.

In fact, it is only a partnership between business and the arts that has the power to ignite the imagination of our people and, in this way, move our country forward. 

It is also noteworthy that this event is taking place at a jazz club. This sacred space is a living example of the arts as a business.

It provides a platform for talented musical maestros to display their talents and skills. It portrays them as business men and women who are serious about earning a decent living from the work they do.

This business place has since been transformed into the nerve-centre of our artistic creativity, especially music, poetry and social networking. This is confirmation of the intuitive connection between business, arts and visionary leadership.

As we gather here this morning, it is 60 years since the signing of the Freedom Charter in 1955 in Kliptown, Soweto Johannesburg.

Also, it is 21 years since we became a sovereign state in a constitutional democracy. We have come a long way in the last 21 years. There is a lot to be proud of.

Significantly, the Freedom Charter and our world renowned Constitution influenced the content and spirit of Africa Month. To promote peace and friendship and espouse that South Africa belongs to all who live in it is something to be proud of.

We can see the business of the arts in nation building and social cohesion. We have brought artists from all over the region and continent to forge closer and better relations among the people of the country and continent.

The business of the arts is playing a leadership role towards building a better country and continent.

Now business should listen to and respond to the voices of the artistic community and bring the art of leadership into their business. There can be no arts without business.

In fact, the value of partnerships between public sector, private sector and artistic society cannot be underestimated if we are to see South Africa move forward.

We have to constantly ask ourselves how business is doing in terms of opening up opportunities for artists and contributing to radical economic transformation.

It is a pleasure to, once again, attend and give an address at an august event organized by BASA. We welcome this partnership with Standard Bank. There is no business that will go wrong through its association with the arts. Standard Bank is an example of an excellent partnership with the sector.

Obviously as the DAC we believe the arts play a role to support the economy, tourism, social capital and social cohesion.

In fact, the arts have a pivotal role to play in the radical economic transformation of the country through encouraging creative activities that provide jobs, security, small business opportunities and, finally, economic self-reliance among practitioners in the sector.

The National Development Plan talks of how “Arts and culture open powerful spaces for debate about where a society finds itself and where it is going.”

It goes on to say, “Promoted effectively, the creative and cultural industries can contribute substantially to small business development, job creation and urban development and renewal.”

As the department we are looking at the establishment of creative incubators, the launch of Venture Capital Fund Initiative and providing Tax Incentives for business contribute to the arts. 

We are thankful of the growing relationship and partnership with business. We believe it will make a significant contribution to promoting active citizenry in the country where the arts sector plays its role in radical economic transformation.

The Department of Arts and Culture is reclaiming and reasserting its place and position to make the arts, culture and heritage sector the heart and soul of nation building.

There is no greater calling than the art leadership of business to lead and coordinate programs that will ultimately give our society a human face.

Much as one of the biggest stumbling blocks to social cohesion is economic inequality, we believe the arts will play a pivotal role in raising consciousness about the urgent need to resolve this.

We Are Africa! Our time is NOW.

In closing, I would like to thank BASA, the sponsors, the businesses and the arts. We all have a common goal of building economic justice and social equality in a non-racial and non-sexist and democratic.

Our former president and international icon, Nelson Mandela said our future is in our hands. Let us go forth to make it happen with the power we have.

THANK YOU

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