Arts and Culture Minister, Mr Nathi Mthethwa will today, Monday, 7 December 2015, host Artists Imbizo at CedarWoods, Woodmead, Sandton in Gauteng as part of the Imbizo Focus Week.
The Imbizo Focus Week will be guided by the theme: “Together We Move South Africa Forward”. This is a rallying theme promoting partnerships and galvanising active citizenry. Political principals from all three spheres of the government will be interacting closely with communities in different parts of the country. It is an opportunity for them to update the public on programmes being implemented to ignite economic growth and create jobs.
The Arts Imbizo will be used to explore and seek solutions on how to deal with challenges affecting the music industry, thus streamlining support, enabling and encouraging economic self-reliance of the artists.
The music industry faces a multiplicity of challenges which amongst others incudes Access to finance and investment; Market Access development; Domestic and International market access support; Effective and efficient IP rights management; IP and music enterprise skills development as well as the decline of physical products, which is key to the revenues of artists in general. South Africa continues to import royalties higher than exporting them.
The session will also serve as a platform to promote arts and culture through development of mentorship incubator programmes that allow transfer of skills, knowledge and experience to youth as envisioned in the Living Legends Legacy Programme (LLLP).
This Imbizo must also be seen in the context of the current processes underway for the revision of the 1996 White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage and part of the consultation with the music sector on what should be done to support and transform the sector.
Media are invited to attend Imbizo as follows:
Date: 7 December 2015
Time: 10:00
Venue: CedarWood, Woodmead Sandton in Gauteng
RSPVs: Madimetja Moleba, MadimetjaM@dac.gov.za, 072 842 6594
For media enquiries contact:
Ms Lisa Combrinck
Cell: 0828214886
E-mail: LisaC@dac.gov.za
SOURCE: SOUTH AFRICAN OFFICAL NEWS