Strengthening the Creative Industries for Development in ... - unctad

50 PART 4. SECTOR SPECIFIC OVERVIEW
Action: A policy and implementation strategy could be developed in conjunction with the MIC
industrial policy, with the MEC and the Ministry of the Environment, given the urgent necessity to
protect and nurture the natural resource “wood”, which, although a renewable resource, should be
preserved and properly regulated in order to not disappear. One can imagine that given these existing
talents and traditions in terms of woodwork in the country, there is future in all creative work that links
design and wood, including furniture.
Action: Local initiatives such as the Nucleo de Arte, a cooperative of local artists and the associative
structuring of artists should be encouraged just as in the example of the musicians’ association.
Specific funding opportunities should be developed in this realm, through residencies for example.
Action: The mobility and exposure of talented artists to global markets should be encouraged.
Action: A communication campaign through commercial embassies should be launched to promote
and organize exhibitions of Makonde art, which is well known for the traditional sculpture and wood
carving produced by the Makonde people in the north. Using hard woods (primarily mahogany, ebony,
and ironwood), the Makonde create masks and sculptures known as “family trees”, which are large
depictions of various figures that tell stories of generations. The government is encouraged to display
on its official government websites illustrations of these quality creative products made in
Mozambique.
Chart 8. Mozambique’s exports of creative goods from the visual arts sector
(in thousand of US$)
4.4.2 DESIGN
(in thousands of US)
900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
Mozambique exports from Visual Arts
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Source: UNCTAD global database on the creative economy
Visual Arts
In recent years, fashion has emerged as a promising creative sector in Mozambique. In 2005, a group
of entrepreneurial cultural promoters and creative designers organized a Fashion Week in
Mozambique. Since then it has become an annual event that is attracting growing interest not only on
the part of Mozambicans and tourists, but also from those involved in the fashion sector in
neighbouring countries. Every year the event is becoming more professionally prepared and is now a
key event in the official cultural calendar of Mozambique. At the closing of the Second National
Conference on Culture held in May 2009, a fashion show was among the cultural events promoted by
the Ministry of Education and Culture. The event presented a retrospective of the highlights of
previous shows and showcased the work of the fashion design winners since 2005.