CASE STUDIES FROM AFRICA

Table 19: Distribution of Activities by Cultural Sectors
Activities
Visual arts and
crafts
Audiovisual and
interactive media
Music and sound
recording
Training/advisory
services
Distribution Additional information
29% 93,936 crafts items were exported in 2012 for a total value of CFAF 392 million.
14% There are about 50 production companies, 14 TV stations, and 143 radio stations.
12%
5,512 artists were registered in the National Bureau of Copyright as of December
2012.
11% There are about 10 specialised training schools and institutions.
Performing arts 10%
More than 2,000 artist groups were registered in 2005, of which half are still
active.
Cultural events 10% 112 festivals are registered in Burkina Faso, of which 34 are active.
Books and press 8% There are about 30 publishers and 60 printing companies in Burkina Faso.
Cultural and
natural heritage
6% There are 44 cultural and natural sites including 7 active museums.
Source: BBEAC (2012).
But the distribution of activities by cultural sector doesn’t reflect the impact that each sector can
have. Thus, the cultural heritage of Burkina Faso is certainly the main triggering factor for
outsiders to either visit or consume local products and services. It constitutes the backbone of
most cultural products and services.
Table 20: Distribution of Registered Governmental Cultural Institutions and Enterprises in
Burkina Faso (2010)
Categories #
Central and cross-cutting technical services of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism 11
Departments linked to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism 8
Decentralised departments (regional departments of culture and tourism) 13
Professional organisations 49
Cultural enterprises (spaces for creation, production, and distribution) 245
Training schools and institutions 26
Cultural buildings and establishments 56
Source: Ministry of Culture and Tourism (2010).
It is essential to underline that small businesses (less than 10 employees), micro-businesses, and
self-employed freelancers essentially dominate the sector. On average these companies employ
not more than five persons. There is a “missing middle” syndrome: there are very few mediumsized
companies in comparison to the number of SMEs mostly based in and around
Ouagadougou (see Table 45 in the annex for details). Only a few actors and major cultural
events are located outside of the central region. The common features of micro-businesses and
SMEs in the cultural services industry are that:
There is a lack of business skills and financial support to develop business and growth
strategies, perform financial planning and provide marketing.
They are often dependent on public investment schemes (notably in cinema, but also in
a wide range of performing sectors such as dance, opera, theatre).
Finally, it should be stressed that while the cultural market is becoming more and more global,
the cultural services industry of Burkina Faso has remained essentially regional or national.
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