We have so much talent in South Africa. It is time to support it

CREATIVES that were suffering in silence during 2016 may slowly be coming to an end, but it has certainly left an indelible imprint as being a notoriously “difficult” year. Beyond threats of ratings downgrades, #FeesMustFall, draught and political shenanigans, the year has been a testing one for anyone working independently as a freelancer, contractor or self employed professional.

According to the latest Absa Small and Medium Enterprises index, roughly 1.29 million South Africans are classified as self employed, and of late I’ve been able to put a human face to what seems like a frivolous statistic.

In the past week, both on the television programme I have the privilege to host on a local TV station and recently at a public dialogue series that was hosted by a private higher education institute, I have engaged with people in the creative industries: fashion designers, artists, musicians, craftsmen, make-up artists, etc. The one thing they all have in common, besides their divine talent, is that they are self employed professionals.

This got me thinking and asking questions, because based on my knowledge of the country’s economy, its total entrepreneurship activity is a mere 7 percent of the adult population. So how is it that with such an alarmingly low entrepreneurship activity level these hardly employed freelance doers manage to survive, especially in light of such economic volatility.

Mind you, this doesn’t say much because, admittedly, the greater majority of small businesses in South Africa are run by self employed people with a veil of security from easier access to credit or a banking overdraft. My inquiring mind openly probed this question, and received some interesting insights. Two points stood out, at least in my mind:

1. The government is not doing enough for the arts, coming from a 17-year veteran in the creative and design industries.

2. I don’t understand what the SABC is doing, coming from an independent film producer talking about the public broadcaster’s localisation initiative.

As an industry outsider, I found myself puzzled by this feedback. Surely the government’s role is the enablement of a conducive environment for creativity to flow and for the creative industries to thrive? Surely the government provides support mechanisms for training, education and markets?

Surely the government understands that artists and creatives are national treasures, as we’ve been repeatedly told when we mourn the passing of yet another once famous artist dying in abject poverty?

Surely the public broadcasters visit for local content and local procurement serves the noble objective of support local job creation and sustaining the local creative industry?

Sure, like other parts of the world, seeing the rich talents of our musicians, film directors and actors builds social cohesion and cultural appreciation. Surely, surely these things are happening?

The word from those directly affected is that the situation is dire, in fact “ku-Bad”, as work opportunities have diminished, government subsidies have dried up, international funding channels have closed, and more creatively talented people accept their fate by find jobs in call centres.

In a world of multi-million rand endorsement deals, “Wuuusham” and “Sidlukotini”, how is it possible that where there is talent, there is a world of haves and have nots?

Allow me to take a step back and recalibrate my thoughts, so as not to come across recalcitrant.

Here we are, in the land of Mandela, the country that brought the Lion King, a country that gave Africa an anthem, a country that birthed Brenda Fassie, Lucky Dube and Mandoza, a country whose stories inspire theatre, poetry, films, books and dreams.

Here we are in a country with so much abundant divine talent that mostly remains undiscovered, undeveloped and untapped.

Some of the country’s “gems” face a monthly struggle for work, pipeline and a lifetime of poverty.

South Africa is blessed with creative talent, but like the informal sector, needs more business knowledge and entrepreneurial education. Too many of our talented youth don’t see sustainable livelihoods in the arts, because too many of those before them have not succeeded, or worse died poor and unappreciated.

The argument to allow creative people the space to create is only but one side of a complicated discussion about creative industries. The ability to formulate career pathways, accessing local and international markets and upskill talent forms this argument.

The nation’s creative talent needs to be nurtured and supported equally by our government, the private sector, and most importantly, embraced by all South Africans. The government has a role to provide through policy formulation, talent identification, upskilling and procurement.

Every municipality should be required to support creative industries through its integrated development plan, local area economic development plan and municipal procurement process.

The SABC, our public broadcaster, should report on how it showcases talent on its platform.

Destination marketing and promotion agencies like BrandSA and the many South African embassies dotted across the globe should equally challenge themselves to showcase the country’s untapped talents.

Many companies already positively support and financial back talent, but a lot more could follow. Programmes like the Business and Arts South Africa should be catalytic drivers of peer learning, with easily accessible tools that allow even smaller businesses to participate in efforts to support talent.

Let’s all come together and embrace creation through a national day of creation. So much more can be done by all of us, for “the Earth without art’ is just (Eh)”.

Admittedly, the greater majority of small businesses in South Africa are run by self employed people with a veil of security from easier access to credit.