Hi-tech window for Africa

EARLIER this week the Department of Arts and Culture held a two-day film summit under the theme, Transformation and Innovation in the South African Film/Audio-Visual Industry and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR).

Speaking at the event attended by some of the country’s most creative minds including award-winning Anant Singh, was University of Johannesburg Professor Tshilidzi Marwala, who explained how, with the revolutions before, Africa was left lagging behind.

“When the first industrial revolution happened in the 1700s, only 60 years later did the first steam engine arrive in South Africa. We cannot afford to be 60 years behind in this day.”

He said the roll-over of the second industrial revolution saw Africa as spectators again.

“It was shortly after the Battle of Isandlwana, where we won the battle but lost the war, and that is because we had not mastered the technological ways of organising ourselves.

“In the third revolution in the US, 70 years after the discovery of the transistor, this country still does not have a single semiconductor company. This is quite a concern.”

Marwala said now that the fourth revolution was here, it was Africa’s chance to make real advances.

“In the digital technology space, and the physical and biology spaces as well, we are becoming technological beings. One of the most effective ways of torturing people is to separate them from the cellphones. In fact, studies have been done which show that the brain activity of people who have been separated from their phones is actually very similar to the brain activity of someone who is trying to stop doing drugs. This is a confluence because digital is part of us.”

Young film-maker Mpho Ntlatleng spoke of the lack of access, saying the youth had no quality equipment, financial incentives and complying with funding policies.

“The red tape remains the biggest gate-keeping tool that hampers our entry, progression and overall participation in this industry,” she said.

Ntlatleng added that the success and viability of South African culture and the creative economy were at risk if transformation did not take place.

She said government policies needed to respond to 4IR.

“The West is analysing Mars, the next best destination for human habitation. Our aerial shots as film-makers are now captured from the ground looking up with our drones tasked to capture images with remote controls which are traditionally shot from aircraft and helicopters.

“The world of robotics is moving fast, (doing) the work of humans. How ready are we as an industry? How ready is the youth?

“Are we investing in technologies in schools, adapting our film curriculum and making technology accessible for children and the youth to be digitally literate?”

These are questions she put to Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa who attended the summit.