Coltart urges NACZ to be self-sufficient

The minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, David Coltart made the call last week at the 2010 Arts and Culture Indaba.
The indaba drew nearly 100 delegates with at least 30 speakers from different sectors talking on issues of arts policy, cultural expression, constitutional reform, global contexts as well as funding institutions. Coltart said his ministry would assist parastatals that fell within its ambit to fund their budgets.
“There is the issue of board membership,” he said. “It is important to redefine their roles, composition and tenure of office.
“The ministry’s position is to assist these parastatals to raise the bulk of their budgets and if possible, be self-sufficient in all respects.
“The extent to which each parastatal will be able to raise income depends on the services it offers. The income raised should not be just for salaries but for the promotional activities domiciled in each parastatal.”
Parastatals have been accused of mismanaging their affairs and relying on the fiscus for survival.
Coltart said the indaba was noble and progressive because it afforded delegates a platform to exchange views and ideas, develop synergies and consult.
“The revival of the indaba concept came at the most opportune time when the Ministry has established the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture whose mandate includes the promotion and development of the arts and culture in the country,” said Coltart. He said the country needed a clear policy on sport, art and culture that would guide the disciplines in future.
“If the policy framework is well thought of to enable it to stand the test of time and give clear direction as to where the arts and culture of this country will not cease to throb,” said Coltart.
“In addition to crafting policy frameworks on Sport as well as the Arts and Culture, there is urgent need to review the Parastatals Acts to bring them in line with the new thinking.
“There are several grey areas in the Parastatals Acts that must be put under scrutiny if the Parastatals are to be self-sufficient or if they can’t, be able to generate some income from some of their operations.”
The minister highlighted the importance of upholding the country’s culture noting that many developed countries had succeeded because they had developed their cultures first.
He noted that the arts and culture sector could make a huge contribution to the country’s GDP, create employment as well as generate income and ensure that artists realise their full potential.
The British Council said it was necessary to revive the cultural indaba concept together with the National Arts Council and UNESCO as an extension to the work it was doing in the ongoing creative entrepreneur programme, a business skills and capacity building programme for local artists.
Discussions at the indaba centered around national policy on arts and culture especially the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe Act of 1985 as well as constitutional reform with regards to the arts industry.
This year’s indaba was hosted by the NACZ, the British Council, Culture Fund of Zimbabwe Trust and UNESCO.
The event is the third since the inaugural indaba that was held in Darwendale in 1999 followed by the second edition in Kadoma in 2005.