I wish to begin by summarizing a quotation by Kenya’s writer Ngugi Wa Thiong’O
“Language is the living repository of the experiences of the people from many origins and stations who gave tongue to it over the ages.  It is the tool we have for transforming our understanding of the world we live in, by shaping its expressions.  It is more than just a means of communication.  When you erase a people’s language you obliterate their memory and they become unconnected to their own histories and culture.  They move away from their own responsibility for history and loose the capacity to access the true dimension of events.”
My talk today is about the search for language to tell our own stories
Canada

My career started in Canada as a rabble rouser.  My job was to work with the voiceless and assist them in strategies to advocate for their rights and to have better living and working conditions.  One of my major projects was organizing with the domestic workers in Quebec.   At that time, these were among the most marginalized groups in the society.  They came from places in the third world on work permits with the objective of sending money home to take care of those left behind.  They were not covered by any legal instrument and employers could pay them just about anything.  They worked long hours, had neither holidays nor medical coverage and sometimes were sexually abused but dared not complain.  Employers had absolute power over them and could refuse to renew their work permit which meant only one thing.  To go back to poverty.     Through educating themselves about their own issues, they were able to come up with strategies and targets for change.  These included persistently bringing their plight to the public eye in a way that the public could understand and relate to; forming alliances with groups and individuals who can assist in reaching the legislators and those who have the power to bring about change for them. In the end, they were able to convince the powers that be to be included in the minimum wage act and to be treated as workers.  By continually sensitizing their employers and people whose opinions matter to these employers, they were able to gain respect for their employment.

I was fascinated by the cultures I encountered and the many ways by which they were expressed artistically.  This convinced me about the possibility of promoting cultural awareness among different groups through music and created a festival called World Rhythms.  In Canada, artistic works from the 3rd world were promoted predominantly by Canadians of European stock during the ‘70s and early ‘80s.  The efforts of the original artists and indigenous promoters to gain access to the mainstream culture were largely ignored.   As a result of this they ended up organizing their events in the church halls, church basements, community centers and school auditorium.  Promoters, curators and artists from the minority communities who were determined to bring works to the main stream venues had a major hurdle to overcome.   The funding Institutions which supported such ventures have their own complexities and were not easily accessible to the minority communities.  They did not operate at a level that created awareness of their existence to artists or art professionals in these communities. As a result, the culturally diverse communities were largely ignorant of their modus operandi.  The processes for making use of their facilities were complex and many applicants were routinely shifted from areas where their creativity would have been enhanced and promoted.  They were pushed into the department of Multiculturalism which at the time was equated with folk or amateur art and became an artistic ghetto for minority or culturally diverse artists. This allowed the dominant culture to segregate the minority artists and to disregard the fact that they have been moved into areas where the impact of their works would be minimal.  Conferences like this or art markets, where people could network, create new audiences and learn from each other were inaccessible because of the cost involved. Apart from that we were handicapped by our inability to access the mainstream art funders.  This created a vicious circle.  It was at these events that experiences of the trade are shared, new techniques learnt and contacts made.  I devised the embarrassing technique of sneaking into these conferences and running the risk of being caught.  I consoled myself that I would learn something and also meet the people in the business. 

By the early 90’s the immigrant and the aboriginal artistic communities were no longer content to live with this situation.  Their efforts were contributing to the Canadian economy and to the cultural fabric of the society, but this was not recognized.  The Canada Council is the federal government’s chosen instrument to foster public enjoyment of the arts, expand existing audiences and create new audiences for the arts.  It came under strong criticism from the culturally diverse and aboriginal communities.  They complained that their cultural traditions, artistic forms and practices a well as their esthetic concerns were being systematically excluded from the Council’s policies and programs.  They pointed out that:  
•    The growth and development of the art institutions and groups in the Aboriginal and culturally diverse communities were seriously curtailed by lack of funding.
•    program and assessment criteria did not take into consideration the unique nature of programs coming from the cultural traditions of minority communities
•    Language issues, lack of representation on boards, advisories and assessment committees, as well as personnel reflecting the cultural and racial diversity of the artistic community  were also cited.

The Canada Council recognized the need to change its policies and programs to provide access to minority artists.  This was the result of the persistence of the artistic communities to ensure that cultural diversity remained on the agenda of the funding bodies.  They demanded that cultural diversity became a guaranteed part of the institutional structures.  They made sure that artists and their audiences were made aware of the issues and engaged in it on a continuous basis.
The advocacy of the communities was recognized by the Department of Canadian heritage as a transformative force.  They accepted it as building committee partnerships between the culturally diverse communities, the staff, senior management and the Board of director of the Canada Council.
Because of these efforts:
•    Council’s policies, programs and practices became appropriately responsive to the reality of Canadian artistic practices
•    Cultural diversity is now positioned as a priority within the organizational structure of the Council
•    Communication and outreach strategies have been developed to sensitize council and the communities about the issues and the gains made in the initiatives
•    There is dialogue among council, arts institutions and artists from the culturally diverse communities
•    Through employment equity and internship programs there is the presence of people of color in the various sections of council.
The federal government’s approach to fostering culturally diverse communities ha been extended into the international community and Canada was in the forefront in pursuing the International Instrument on Cultural diversity.
Africa.

I relocated to Africa in 1993, eager to be in a situation where cultural policies would reflect the face of my country in all its diversity and richness.   I became the program director for the national Theater and was thrust right in the heart of the cultural establishment.  The enabling environment for the creative value chain such as funding, research and analysis to enhance the public enjoyment of contemporary art, Art Education, industry related laws, was weak or lacking.  Emphasis was laid on the preservation and promotion of our traditional African culture. Governments support regional festivals of traditional art.  Little attention is paid to the evolving culture and how we relate and translate our contemporary culture to the rest of the world.   Ironically, a new ghetto is formed where we support traditional culture in a country which is increasingly urbanized and whose cities have become the crucibles of a dynamic evolving contemporary African culture.  The most vibrant artistic creators have become the new minority and suffer marginalization and lack of official support.  Institutions appear to be insensitive to the evolving culture and there is a notably few, and many times, lack of practicing artists and art professionals on advisory committees and groups set up to plan major events or policies.

The Expo 2005 in Japan for example featured national pavilions that used innovative artistic creations to present model communities for the future where humans can live in harmony with nature. The African pavilion sold copies of traditional masks and statuettes.  This event and many more like this represented missed opportunities to showcase our creativity to the world. 

In the face of this discouraging situation, artists formed structures to network and present their works.  In Ghana two examples of this effort are the Artist Alliance and the Nubuke Foundation.  Individual visual artist are creating masterpieces out of little. Actors formed guilds and were creating and presenting theatrical works.  The Copyright Administration was advocating for the rights of the music sector and formed COSGA, the collecting society.  The National Theater created a network with institutions and theaters around the world and presented programs for people of all ages and backgrounds.

If creators of contemporary art were feeling ignored in their own country, they were equally ignorant of International Treaties and National policies that could become tools for them.
The Nairobi Plan of Action on the Cultural and Creative Industries in Africa, 2008 and the UN Recommendation concerning the Status of the Artist are two such tools.
The UN Recommendations Concerning the Status of the Artists obliges the member states to
•    Grow artists from an early age through measures that will strengthen respect for artistic creation and the discovery and development of artistic vocations, providing the necessary professional training of talent to produce works of outstanding quality. 
•    It obliges member states to consider artistic activity including innovation and research as a service to the community.  
•    The recommendations saw a great need for member states to improve the social recognition of artists through funding, employment opportunities, availability of facilities such as museums etc, audience development, ensuring that the population as a whole has access to art, legal protection, pension rights, encourage international travel and exchanges. 
•    The recommendations stressed the need for the views of artists to be heard regarding the formulation and implementation of local and national cultural policies
Nearer home, the AU also has a plan of action on the cultural and creative industries in Africa.  This plan is to serve as a vehicle for implementation of various declarations, charters, international conventions and agreements adopted at the African and international levels by heads of state and governments. It has three objectives, economic, social and political development applied across different sectors.  The goal is to tap into the vast economic and social potential of African cultural and creative resources and to bring about tangible improvements in the life of African artists, their families and their communities.

The priority areas in this Action plan call for:
•    development strategy designed by Africans to meet the needs and interest of Africa but with the collaboration of relevant partners and stakeholders at the local, national and international levels and with the political commitment  to create the enabling environment  for this to happen.
•    plan calls for evidence based and informed policies, strategies and plans of Action through reliable, up to date and comprehensive statistical data on cultural and creative industries.
•    Institutional and legislative capacity building at the national, sub regional and continental levels was highlighted for the effective implementation of the plan of action.
•    Another priority area is to empower African artists and creators and to strengthen their capacity for better productivity and quality of products and services.
•    Promote investment in the African creative industry while protecting the African values and heritage.
•    Create a market within Africa and facilitate global access for African creative products and services.
•    Improve infrastructure for the development of the cultural and creative industries. 
•    Empower women, youth and vulnerable groups with creative potential.
•    Protection of cultural heritage, knowledge and know how

The two documents recognize the rich contribution of the artistic community to global culture and the economy.  They provide all the basic rights that are needed for the creative value chain.  This ranges from preproduction, through production to post production activities including exhibitions and distribution.  It is however only worth as much as the paper it is written on unless we, artists, art professionals and civil society make it our duty to act in our respective countries and on the continent to use the Plan of Action and the Recommendation on the Status of the Artist as tools to improve our conditions, our creative practices and cultural industries. This way, we can be globally competitive, engage with the world and assert our rightful place internationally.

We need to educate ourselves and sensitize our communities and the powers that be about the issues and the gains we all stand to make if we work together.  We need to create targets and strategies to achieve our collective goal to enhance the creative industries.  We need to forge relationships and partnerships nationally and internationally that will strengthen our quest to take responsibility for our future.

In countries such as Ghana, Mali, Nigeria and Senegal, the process has already begun and culture has been integrated into the Poverty Reduction Strategies.  As a result of lobbying and advocacy by civil society and artists, Ghana has placed emphasis on development of Creative industries as potential sources of employment generation, wealth creation and skill development. In the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II) the government committed to promote research into existing policies, legal and legislative framework in order to create, review and  revise these legislature and policies, providing the right legal and regulatory framework to develop and promote the  industry. For Human and institutional resource capacity building, government agreed to expand opportunities for specialists and stakeholders in the creative industries to acquire industry related knowledge and resources. As one of the indicators for Production and Gainful employment in the GPRS, the government agreed to create avenues for distribution, exhibitions, awards and live performances on national and international levels through the Embassies and missions abroad.

 In the successor to the GPRSII, government committed to develop and strengthen Ghana’s creative economy in ways that would enable the nation to actively engage in world trade in creative goods and services.  Government further agreed to strengthen the regulatory and institutionary framework for the development of National culture, for instance, through the National Cultural Policy.  She agreed to  promote sustainable and responsible tourism in such a way to preserve historical, cultural and natural heritage.

These provisions provided entry points for the private sector and other stakeholders to initiate programs that can help realize the broader objectives of promoting development in these areas. Civil society and other interested local and foreign institutions have taken up the challenge and have designed and implemented some programs in that regard.

Through the European Union and the Danish Center for Culture and Development, grants are now provided for artists and art Institutions for capacity building, professional development, for creation of works, production and exhibition of works and exchange programs with international artists.

Civil society is now lobbying to promote Accra as a cultural city.  This involves infusing and promoting arts and Cultural activities in Accra’s neighborhoods that give exposure to, understanding of and respect for the multicultural heritages of the city to wider audiences.

A Committee for the Creative Industries was formed. This committee strongly believes that with her rich diversity of cultures and abundant creative talent, Ghana stands to benefit tremendously from what is now globally recognized as one of the most dynamic engines for rapid growth and sustainable development.  Trade in cultural goods and services worldwide were valued at $2.2 trillion in 2000 and growing at 5% annually, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

The committee for Creative Industries sees its mission as bringing creative industries to the front burner of government policy and to push for an integrated approach towards implementation of the strategies within the successor medium term national policy framework.  The committee believes that Creative Industries have the potential to:
•    Stimulate economic growth
•    Create jobs
•    Develop Ghana’s creative assets for export
•    Promote national cultural cohesion
•    Support government initiatives for integrated public policies, and
•    Optimize Ghana’s image internationally.

The Committee recognized the need for effective partnerships to ensure success.  It formed alliances with the National Development Planning Committee to get the Creative Industries into the Successor Medium Term National Policy Framework to the GPRS II.  It also formed alliances with the World Bank who recognizes the importance of creative industries and agreed to incorporate it in their dialogue with the Ghanaian Government and other institutions.  Furthermore:
•    The World Bank will support the creation of the Council for the Creative Industries in Ghana and its objectives.
•    It  will support think tank activities that will enhance the development of Creative Industries in Ghana including a Round Table forum with stakeholders that could result in a National strategy

The Committee has requested support from the Ministry for Trade and Industries to conduct research which will form the basis for analyzing the potential of Ghana’s Creative Industries for economic growth locally and maximizing their potential internationally.

The creative industries have linkages to a number of different sectors in the overall economy and so the Committee has requested for a gathering of the ministers whose departments are involved so as to sensitize them about the role of creative industries in stimulating growth. The meeting will be held under the chairmanship of the vice president and ministers will have a chance to discuss the insertion of creative industries in their policies.

The Committee had consultative meetings with the Attorney General to discuss the formation of a Council for Creative Industries and other issues within the successor medium term national policy framework to the GPRS II that has legal implications and which has her office as one of the implementing agencies.

It has not been easy as it sounds here and the road is long and hard.  This is because for far too long, we in the artistic and cultural sector were content to let others make decisions for us whilst we go on our individualistic ways.  Making changes calls for collective action and this is the time to forge relationships and to act. It is my fervent hope that the issues raised in this presentation would spark further discussions and recommendations that would enhance the future and development of the African creative sector.