Indaba to help grow EC creatives
As the Eastern Cape Audio Visual Centre (ECVAC) looks forward to hosting the province’s first creative economy indaba today, roleplayers in the provincial arts, culture and heritage sectors want to see the Eastern Cape creative industry get the recognition it deserves.
Musicians, filmmakers, dancers and crafters looking to make a living of their talent are invited to join the two-day indaba on at the ECVAC until Friday afternoon.
In a media briefing session at ECVAC on Wednesday, Vukile Pokwana said the indaba was meant to attract investments, sponsorships and donor funding for aspiring filmmakers, artists and crafters in the province.
Pokwana is the creative industries’ consultant of Koloni Consulting Enterprise, which has partnered with Business Arts South Africa, National Empowerment Fund and the Department of Trade & Industry to bring the indaba to East London.
Pokwana said the indaba would be a gathering of minds to march progressively towards a creative economy in the Eastern Cape.
He said the indaba would give aspiring artists and filmmakers an opportunity to rub shoulders with established individuals in the arts, culture and heritage industry, where they’ll unpack funding opportunities, and facilitate conversations on growing the arts and culture sector as a significant contributor to local economic, social and human development.
“There is a creative economy in the Eastern Cape. It’s just fragmented. This indaba will fashion a new economy for the arts. Gone are the days when artists have to go to Johannesburg in order to make it. We are now opening opportunities for artists here,” Pokwana said.
He said the world was moving towards recognising art as a commodity that could be traded. Eastern Cape aspiring creatives needed to be given a platform to showcase their talents.
“Creative industries should feature in the economy more than any other industries. Artists are business people in their own right. Creative arts in
There is a creative economy in the Eastern Cape. It’s just fragmented. This indaba will fashion a new economy for the arts
the province should thrive because there is a need for it here. There is no shortage of creative inspiration in the Eastern Cape, there is a shortage of opportunities for empowerment, training and development.”
Pokwana said the province was yet to take advantage of the global growth in cultural industries because of problems with implementation.
“We are the home of legends. There are path-breakers who come from the province who can inspire us greatly, such as the late Winston Ntshona, John Kani and the late Ben Nomoyi,” Pokwana said.