Governments set up funds to shield creatives

Members of the Uganda Contemporary Ballet. Most sports, arts and culture events have either been cancelled, postponed or suspended. PHOTO | NMG 

In Summary

• Unesco says that more than 80 per cent of the World Heritage sites have closed down, threatening the livelihoods of communities and cultural professionals.

By BAMUTURAKI MUSINGUZI
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Even as the coronavirus pandemic sends the global economy into a recession, governments and private donors have come up with relief funds to rescue the culture and creative industries, which are also suffering from income losses.
Unesco says that more than 80 per cent of the World Heritage sites have closed down, threatening the livelihoods of communities and cultural professionals. This is despite millions of people around the world turning to music and culture online for comfort and connection.

In Africa, South Africa, Kenya and Tunisia have come up with financial rescue packages for their arts and culture sector.

In South Africa, all scheduled sports, arts and culture events have either been cancelled, postponed or suspended.

After President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a state of disaster on March 15, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture in South Africa began identifying beneficiaries of a R150 million ($8 million) relief fund to assist project managers, event organisers, producers, artistes and freelancers in cultural and creative industries.

The funds will channelled through the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee and the Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa. The deadline of submitting applications was on April 6.

The funds will benefit athletes who were confirmed to participate at events that have now been cancelled or postponed and whose income is generated solely through specific sporting events.

According to the sports ministry, “They must provide proof that their events have been cancelled and their taxes must be in order.”

On April 6, in his address to the nation on the state of Covid-19, Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta directed the Ministry of Sports, Culture, and Heritage to organise a Ksh100 million ($1 million) kitty to assist local artistes “so they may continue to entertain their fellow brothers and sisters through TV, radio and the Internet.”

“Starting this month, all our local artistes will be earning a total of Ksh200 million ($2 million) per month, which will be paid to musicians through the system and other platforms that we have developed. This shall translate this year to over Ksh2 billion ($20 million) going into the pockets of our young artistes and young Kenyans,” said President Kenyatta.
“I welcome this initiative and this shows that our president recognises that music plays a vital role in society, and that music was one of the first industries to be affected because we musicians need crowds to thrive,” said Ricky Nanjero, head of Ricky Na Marafiki Band.

However, Nanjero said the government is yet to come up with guidelines on how artistes will access this money.

On March 22, the Tunisian Ministry of Cultural Affairs announced that a Fonds Relance Culture or Culture Recovery Fund will be created to support and cushion professionals and cultural sites. So far, more than 700 events and festivals have been cancelled or postponed in the country. The ministry stressed that “this Culture Recovery Fund will be replaced by a longer-term ministerial action.” The fund consists of grants from both the private and public sectors.

In anticipation of a possible relief package from government, the Uganda National Cultural Centre (UNCC) has asked local artistes to register and update their contact details on its database.

UNCC is also asking the artistes to share how Covid-19 has affected them in order to gauge the impact of the lockdown on the arts and culture sector in the country.
Lobbying support
“Uganda National Cultural Centre together with our line ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development are lobbying for support from the government for the creative industry especially those most affected by the lockdown due to Covid-19 as per the president’s guidance for us that earn on a piece rate basis and are vulnerable due to the pandemic,” the UNCC production manager Andrew Lwanga Ssebaggala, said in a statement dated April 16.

Singapore has set aside a S$55 million ($38.6 million) support package for the arts and culture sector to save jobs, as well as encourage groups to improve their skills and go digital. This is on top of the S$1.6 million ($1.1 million) set aside earlier to help art groups.