Arts And Culture: Minister's Budget Vote Speech

Minister of Arts and Culture, Mr Paul Mashatile gave his speech an the 3 May 2012

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Chairperson of the session
Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Dr. Joe Phaahla
Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture, Honourable Babalwa Sunduza
Honourable Members of the Portfolio Committee
Honourable Members of Parliament
Director General of the Department of Arts and Culture, Mr. Sibusiso Xaba
Chairpersons of our Boards and Councils
Art, culture and heritage practitioners
Business leaders
Ladies and Gentlemen:
 

Introduction
 
I am humbled by the opportunity to present the 2012/2013 Budget Vote for the Department of Arts and Culture.
 
We present our budget two days after the people of our country joined the rest of the world in celebrating Worker’s Day.
 
We will forever remember the heroism and sacrifices of the workers of our country.
We recommit ourselves to the goal of defending the gains of the working people of our country, especially our cultural workers.  
 
Honourable Members, just under a week ago, we marked the 18^th Anniversary of freedom and democracy, under the theme; “Working together to build unity and prosperity for all”. 
 
On that important occasion we reflected on the progress we are making to build a non-racial destiny for all the people of South Africa; united in their diversity.
 
We also committed ourselves to continue building an economically prosperous society.
 
Our key milestones
 
Honourable Members, the Department of Arts and Culture has declared the year 2012 as the year of heritage.
 
In this regard we will intensify the work we are doing to preserve our country’s cultural heritage; paying particular attention to our liberation heritage.
 
This year is also the year of the centenary of the oldest modern liberation movement in Africa; the African National Congress.
 
The Centenary of the African National Congress is part of our intangible heritage, which we must preserve for current and future generations.
 
Our achievements thus far
 
Honourable Members, over the past 18 years we have made significant progress in addressing the challenges of poverty and underdevelopment.
 
However, many of our people in particular women, the youth and those in rural areas are still faced with these challenges on a daily basis.
 
We are pleased to report that as part of our Mzansi Golden Economy Strategy, a number of high impact programmes targeting youth and women in the arts have been identified.
 
These include the Indoni, My Heritage My Pride programme which aims to provide young people with life skills training, education and encouragement in appreciating who they are, their heritage and their culture.
 
We are also implementing the Trendsetter Initiative through which we encourage youth to participate in the arts and thus contribute to the development of their communities.
 
We have begun to implement the Public Art programme, through which we are skilling young people and employing them to beautify their communities using their artistic abilities.
 
This year we funded the Emerging Creatives programmes; providing an opportunity for 40 young designers to showcase their designs along side established designers at the Design Indaba in Cape Town.
 
2012 the year of heritage
 
Having declared the year 2012 as the year of heritage, we will continue to honour the heroes and heroines of our struggle for national liberation.
 
We will also use heritage infrastructure development as catalysts for local economic development, job creation and nation building.
 
A total of twenty eight heritage projects have been identified for implementation during the current financial year.
 
Working together with the Independent Development Trust, we have begun to implement our programme to refurbish the house of the former ANC President O.R Tambo in Bizana.
 
We are also building O.R ‘s statue, refurbishing the Garden of Remembrance and an interpretive centre in Kantolo.
 
An access road linking Bizana to O.R. Tambo’s homestead will also be built.
 
An initial amount of R 25 million has been set aside for this project.
 
This project is expected to create 50 permanent jobs as well as 90 short, medium and occasional jobs.
 
We are proceeding with the development of the Ingquza Heritage Centre in Pondoland.
 
This project includes the refurbishment of the Holy Cross Church in Ngquza Hill, where O. R Tambo was a member. The Church will also be declared a heritage site.
 
A total of R 15 million has been set aside for this project.
 
The project is expected to create 40 permanent jobs and 75 short, medium and occasional jobs.
 
The Waaihoek Church and the Maphikela House in Mangaung have also been declared heritage sites.
 
In February this year we launched the John Langalibalele Dube Legacy project in Inanda in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
 
More than R 60 million has been set aside for this project, which is expected to create 270 jobs.
 
Monuments
 
We will in the coming months, open the Steve Biko Centre in Ginsberg.
 
We have invested more than R 170 million in this project, which to-date has created 609 jobs.
 
We have also declared the graves of Robert Sobukwe, Helen Joseph, Lillian Ngoyi and Charlote Maxeke as a national heritage sites.
 
In the coming months the grave of Dr. Beyers Naude, and Rahima Moosa will be declared national heritage sites.
 
This year we are celebrating the centenary of Alexandra Township and Sophiatown.
 
Both these areas have a rich history of struggle and were vibrant hubs of cultural and artistic expression. 
 
We expect to officially open the Matola Monument and Interpretive Centre in Mozambique before the end of this year.
 
We have invested R 65 million towards this project; creating in Matola alone a total of 245 contract and 15 permanent jobs.
 
Through this project we are strengthening the bonds of friendship and solidarity with the people of Mozambique.
We will also work with the Department of Correctional Services to implement the Gallows heritage project.
 
Later this year, we will open the second phase of the Freedom Park Museum; Ixapo, to tell the South African story of pre-colonial times.
 
Some of the work we are doing this year on heritage will form part of the Liberation Heritage Route.
 
Social Cohesion and Nation Building
 
In line with our commitment to nation building and national healing we declared the Voortrekker Monument as a national heritage site.
 
We have also opened a road linking the Freedom Park to the Voortrekker Monument, symbolizing a new era of cooperation between the two institutions.
     
In order to restore the dignity of the San people and to promote national healing, we have repatriated the remains of Klaas and Trooi Pienaar from Austria where they were illegally and criminally taken to, for so called research purposes.
 
A decent reburial of Klass and Trooi Pienaar will be held later this year.
 
We are well on track with the establishment of the Sarah Baartman Centre of Remembrance.
We are investing R 168 million towards this project.
 
The project is envisaged to create 230 contract jobs and 45 permanent jobs. 
 
 
 
Progress in the implementation of MGE
 
Honourable Members, the creative economy is now at the centre of the international economic and development agenda.
 
We too in South Africa have for some time now placed the creative economy at the centre of our endeavour to grow the economy, create jobs and built sustainable livelihoods.
 
It is for this reason that through the Mzansi Golden economy Strategy we have identified key policy interventions that will support the growth and development of the creative economy.
 
We are therefore pleased to announce that our Mzansi Golden Economy Strategy has been endorsed by National Treasury.
 
The Mzansi Golden Economy, seeks to enhance our sector’s contribution to the national effort to create
5 million jobs within the next ten years.
 
Specifically, through our Public Art Programme and the establishment of an Art Bank we will create 10 000 new work opportunities over the next three years.  
 
We piloted the concept of a sourcing enterprise during COP 17, resulting in the creation of more 8 000 direct work days over a two week period.
 
As part of audience development we are piloting five cultural precincts and information centres in five major cities.
 
Through this initiative we anticipate a baseline target of more than 2 000 new work opportunities, expected to grow significantly over the next three years.     
 
Targeted support will be provided to 26 major cultural events every year across the country, generating a base line target of more than 2 000 work opportunities per event.
 
A recreational underwater museum in Kosi Bay will be developed.
 
The museum is expected to boost adventure and cultural tourism in the West Coast.
 
Working together with the Department of Basic Education we are making progress in bringing back arts education in schools.
 
Through this intervention we are targeting 3 000 new work opportunities over the next three years.
 
We are also making steady progress towards the establishment of the National Skills Academy for the arts.
 
We will work with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development towards the establishment of a cultural observatory, to collect and analyse data within our sector.
 
Film
 
Honourable Members, funding for film production has increased from R 6,9 million in the 2009/10 to R 8,7 million in 2010/1.
 
Equally the support for documentary productions has increased from 4 in 2009/10 to 12 in 2011/2011.
 
For every documentary film produced with a budget of R 500 000, we create at least 10 direct jobs.
 
It is against this background that we will continue to increase funding for film and television productions.
 
We will also create access to local film and video products, increase the volume of film production and provide training and skills development opportunities.
 
Our long-term vision is to establish a National Film Commission and streamline film funding through a Film Fund.
 
Music
 
In order to strengthen the local music industry and to build sustainable livelihoods for local musicians, we facilitated a cooperation agreement between the Association of Independent Record Companies and the SABC.
 
This agreement will increase local music content in the public broadcaster and ensure needle time for the creators of content.
 
We are also working with the music industry, the   Department of Trade and Industry and law enforcement agencies to strengthen the fight against music piracy.  
 
Our international work
 
Honourable Members, in the month of May we will celebrate Africa Day. 
 
Working together with the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, we will ensure the successful hosting of Africa Day celebrations.
 
In line with our commitment to building a Better Africa and a Better World, we continue to be active on the international front.
 
This we are doing in order to promote our culture in other parts of the world and to grow the local creative and cultural industries.
 
In this regard, we have signed cultural agreements and programmes of cooperation with Spain, Argentina, the State of Palestine and Angola. 
 
We also singed a film co-production treaty with New Zealand.
 
We are reviewing our cultural agreements with the United Kingdom and the United States of America, with a view to further strengthening them.
 
During the Cannes Film Festival this year, we will sign a film treaty with the Republic of Ireland.
 
In September the government of the State of Qatar will host a South Africa week in Doha.
 
We will also sign a cultural agreement with the State of Qatar.
 
We expect Cabinet to soon ratify the African Charter on Cultural Renaissance.
 
This Charter will allow us to strengthen the work done by the African Union on the cultural front.
 
In June this year we will host the South African leg of the 2012-2013 South Africa-French Season.
 
The Season is aimed at showcasing our cultures and strengthening cultural cooperation between our two countries.
 
Honourable Members, South Africa will this year host the African Chapter of the UNESCO Conference on World Heritage.
 
The Conference will give us an opportunity to develop a shared African perspective on the link between development and the preservation of current and envisaged world heritage sites.
 
Next year, South Africa will once again participate in the prestigious Venice Biennale.
 
We are in a process of securing permanent space in the Biennale for South Africa.This will give certainty of our intention to continue exporting our creative goods into major international markets.
 
As part of the work we are doing since signing a cultural agreement with Jamaica, we will this year participate in the 50^th Anniversary of the independence of Jamaica.
We will use that occasion to showcase our culture to the people of Jamaica, with whom we share strong bonds of friendship and solidarity.
 
Conclusion
 
Honourable Members, we are putting together a team of senior managers that will ensure the effective implementation of our programmes.
 
We are confident that the goals we have set for ourselves, working together with you, will be realised.
 
Our ultimate objective is to create better conditions for the production, distribution and consumption of the arts, culture and heritage; so that it yields greater economic and social benefits for all.
 
I thank you!