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Nathi Mthethwa on the need to leverage South Africa’s creative capital [video]

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EMPLOYMENT, job creation and the transformative power of creativity were some of the key issues discussed on day-one of the South African Cultural Observatory’s (SACO) 2018 international conference at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth.

Under the theme, Beyond the Creative Economy? Trends and Issues in National and Regional Economies, the cultural think-tank’s two-day conference is tackling big debates surrounding the current realities and future directions of the creative economy. It is interrogating the growing potential of the creative and cultural industries (CCIs) and arts, culture and heritage (ACH) sectors in South Africa and across the globe.

In his keynote address this morning Minister of Arts and Culture, Hon. Nkosinathi ‘Nathi’ Mthethwa emphasized the need to leverage South Africa’s creative capital to expand and deepen the country’s creative and cultural economy. This, he said, could potentially lead to the creation of millions of much needed jobs.

“Worldwide, the CCIs are increasingly attracting attention as drivers of economic growth, innovation, and job creation. A 2017 report by the World Economic Forum on ‘The Future of Jobs and Skills in Africa’ listed the creative industries as one of the ‘trending’ professions, which had an average growth rate of 7% between 2011 and 2016,” he said.

“Similar growth in South Africa at this level would support the National Development Plan’s aim to create 11 million new jobs by 2030.

He noted the results of a recent Cultural Observatory employment report which notes the CCIs directly contributed to over 2.5% of national employment, on par with the mining sector. However, the wider ‘cultural economy’ – including support services – accounts for far more.

“In 2015, the broader ‘Cultural Economy’, in all its facets, accounted for an estimated 6.72% of all employment in South Africa or just over a million jobs. This figure is indicative of the potential of our golden [creative] economy.

“But employment in the cultural sector is highly dependent on broader economic growth. Because of this, it is time that we started to look beyond the celebration aspects of arts and culture and shift our focus to a holistic socio-economic perspective,” Mthethwa added.

#SACOConf2018 Day 1 reel

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