Creative Economy: A Feasible Development Option

sub-Saharan African countries. More importantly, in morethan 35 per cent of these countries, there is a music industry;however, only two are classified in the “established recording2industry” category: South Africa and Zimbabwe. 9 43Recording industry Performance industryTotalTable 2.1EstablishedindustryFeatures of the African music industryCongoDemocratic Republicof the CongoKenyaMaliSenegalSouth AfricaUnited Republicof Tanzania16%South AfricaZimbabweEmerging/ previouslyestablished industryBotswanaBurkina FasoCameroonEquatorial GuineaGambiaGuinea BissauIvory CoastMadagascarZambiaZimbabwe24%CameroonCape VerdeIvory CoastKenyaMadagascarMaliMauritiusSenegalUnited Republicof TanzaniaZambiaEmbryonic industry Craft-like scale Unclear evidenceof industryBeninCape VerdeCentral African RepublicGhanaMauritiusMozambiqueNamibiaUganda17%BeninBotswanaBurkina FasoCentral African RepublicCongoDemocratic Republicof the CongoEquatorial GuineaGhanaGuinea BissauMalawiMozambiqueNamibiaUgandaAngolaGabonMalawiNigerSeychellesSwazilandTogo16%GabonGambiaNigerSeychellesTogoBurundiChadDjiboutiEritreaEthiopiaLesothoLiberiaMauritaniaRwandaSierra LeoneSomaliaSudan27%AngolaBurundiChadDjiboutiEritreaEthiopiaLesothoLiberiaMauritaniaRwandaSierra LeoneSomaliaSudanSwazilandThe development dimensionTotal3%26%27%11%32%Average9%26%22%14%30%The past ten years have seen the development of culturalpolicy around the continent and the inclusion of culturalissues in continental and regional forums such as theSouthern African Development Community (SADC). Manycountries lack an explicit cultural policy as well as the institutionsor infrastructure to deliver on policy objectives. In addition,there is a disparity in the location of culture as a portfoliowithin government. Policy focus is primarily on heritageand preservation in response to historical factors and nationalidentity while there is limited attention to contemporaryculture, which tends to be left up to arts councils, with littleattention paid to creative industries at a policy level. Indeed,these are common problems in most developing countries.Nevertheless, certain countries in Africa have begun torecognize the potential of the cultural sector and the creativeeconomy to alleviate poverty and create jobs and are becomingmore committed to supporting these sectors. At aMinisterial Conference held in Mozambique in 2000 on therole and place of culture on the regional integration agenda,Member States of SADC agreed to “take decisive stepstoward the promotion of cultural industries as a way ofexploiting their capabilities to alleviate poverty, generateemployment and contribute to economic growth”. 10There is as yet no integrated coordinated frameworkfor African cultural policy; as a consequence, the potential ofthe cultural market in Africa is not realized. To do so would9UNESCO (2004).10Sithole (2000).CREATIVE ECONOMY REPORT 2010