National Arts Council to mark silver jubilee

The concert, to be held in the capital, will feature Oliver Mtukudzi and Victor Kunonga.
The NACZ marketing and communications manager, Tafadzwa Chidoori, said in statement that besides the live show being a moment to celebrate NACZ’s 25 years of existence, it is a “chance for partners and stakeholders in the arts sector to celebrate together with NACZ their contribution in the development and promotion of the arts industry”.
The NACZ was set up through an Act of Parliament “to foster, develop and improve the knowledge, understanding and practice of the arts and their presentation, performance, execution and the exhibition of the same to the various publics”.
“The NACZ has over the years played a major role in sustaining the cultural heart of the country, through supporting a wide range of artistic activity, arts festivals and cultural fairs,” he said.
One of the major landmarks in the history of the NACZ include the 2000 government policy position that ensured a 75 percent local content in programming on both radio and television. This allowed the exposure of artistic talent which would otherwise have gone unnoticed.
In 2003, government gazetted a Statutory Instrument 136 of 2003 that allows artistes to import musical, broadcasting, recording and PA systems duty free. This has over the years changed the face of the arts and culture sector though there are still other sectors that are yet to enjoy the same privileges.
Zimbabwe succeeded to lobby for the proclamation of Jerusarema/Mbende Traditional Dance to be proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2005. Murewa Culture House was declared the centre of the dance. This means Jerusarema dancers will get world recognition and UNESCO will support financially and technically efforts to preserve its costume, form and style.
This year, the NACZ, in partnership with Cell Funeral Assurance Company, established a Cell-ebrity Funeral Cover which provides decent and affordable funeral cover and services to the artistes.
Under the auspices of the NACZ, Zimbabwean artistes have participated at regional and international levels. This has resulted in a steady rise in cultural ambassadors, who have received prestigious accolades overseas. Some of these are Dominic Benhura (sculpture), Mtukudzi (music), Conte Mhlanga (theatre) and Tsitsi Dangarembga (film and literature), just to mention but a few.
“It is our goal that by 2013 the arts sector will contribute about 10 percent of the GDP. This will be achieved through facilitating the growth of a diverse, dynamic arts and cultural industries that foster national identity,” said Chidoori.