Open Letter to Culture Minister, David Coltart

Friday, 15 May 2009 13:11

Honorable Minister David Coltart,

David Coltart I hope I find you well. Let me first congratulate you for attaining your post as the Minister of Education Sports and Culture in this inclusive government of Zimbabwe, whose success all Zimbabweans are looking forward to. It is a powerful Ministry, which had been brought to its belly, leaving little hope for its revival. I hope during your tenure there will be huge strides attained in developing the Education, Sports and Culture sectors and getting them back on their feet to help re-build our nation. Minister, you have a lot of work in your hands and I am very aware that demands flow to your office on daily if not hourly intervals therefore I will be very precise in this letter and get to the point.

Pictured: Hon David Coltart

Honorable Minister, I am a cultural activist and observer, all my concerns in this open letter are tangled around the arts and culture in Zimbabwe. I am aware that there have been initiatives by your office and the National Arts council of Zimbabwe to create platforms for arts organisations, artists and various stakeholders to address pending and sticking issues in the arts and culture sector in Zimbabwe in a genuine bid to develop and re-brand the arts and culture in Zimbabwe. Unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to attend any of the crucial meetings you have held so far, therefore, I solely rely on press sources.

Most unfortunately, a DVD that was produced by the Bulawayo Arts Forum on the discussions that you held, costs US$10 in what I see as insensible and insulting as this should be public service given to the people of Zimbabwe for free to consume what the Honorable Minister had to say about his Ministry’s initiatives on issues affecting the Arts and Culture In Zimbabwe. ‘Anyway that’s Zimbabweans for you’.

Firstly, the arts and culture sector in Zimbabwe is dead, death at its peak level and therefore needs hard work for it to get back to life. This death has over the past years been natured and monitored closely to make sure it does not come back to life. This was a deliberate move to silence the arts and culture as it was a threat to the then ZANU PF government through suppressive laws that were put in place like POSA, AIPPA and non cooperation from the government organs to license private players in broadcasting for television and radio, I must say they silenced it and almost put it to rest in eternal peace.

However there were ghosts who kept on coming up screaming, shouting for freedom to create, freedom to speak, freedom to broadcast, and freedom rebuild the industry in the likes of Zenzele Ndebele, Cont Mhlanga, Raisedon Baya, Walter Mparutsa, Josh Nyapimbi and Daves Guzha to name but a few out of thousands. These ghosts have also been victims of intimidation, marginalisation and to some extent have had their content banned or ‘censored’ but through the grace of GOD and resilient stances they continued to fight for Zimbabweans’ rights.

This has grossly affected the growth of arts and culture and most importantly the birth of democratic space to propel views and provide quality and competitive entertainment to the world. Zimbabwe breeds robust talent everyday and it is the Governments’ mandate to support initiatives that nature and guide talent to produce fruits that will help Zimbabwe grow as a nation economically, politically and socially.

Minister I must say it is a shocking revelation that from the past 10 – 15 years to date the arts and cultural activities you have seen around the country have been supported by foreign governments, from exhibitions, to festivals, to developmental projects and tiny infrastructural assistance that has been provided. I must say that we should thank these governments for the support that they have continued to deliver despite the negative publicity and tough environment that Zimbabwe has housed for a long time. What is important now is to address local sanctions that the Zimbabwe government has not dared to lift on the arts and culture industry of Zimbabwe, these dreadful sanctions comprise of:

Minimal funding of arts and cultural activities and infrastructural development from the National budget.
Capacitate existing cultural and training institutions.
Introduce arts and cultural education in schools national curriculum.
Marginalisation of institutions especially in Matabeleland which have splendid initiatives and good track records of capability to deliver.
Government’s failure to protect artist’s freedom after expression.
Clear cut responsibilities, support, accountability and monitoring of the National Arts council of Zimbabwe.
Opening the airwaves to independent broadcasters/producers.
Respect and acknowledgment of creative work
Enact laws that govern the arts and culture industry.

Honorable Minister these are some of the pertinent sanctions that need to be lifted soon. They are major hindrances to the development of arts and culture in Zimbabwe and they suffocate the potential to heal Zimbabwe and make the arts an integral element to help shape Zimbabwe along side other players in economic reform programmes.

‘Zimbabwe will never ever be a colony again’ emphasized President Robert Mugabe and therefore this inclusive government should not colonise and short change the arts as has been done before, but move inclusively with it to create arts education, arts jobs, arts freedom, arts support and help it contribute more to the economy exposing Zimbabwean talent and creativity to the global village. This is also a right to artists as they are tax payers and that tax should come back to develop and assist their programs.
Honorable Minister, I must thank you for you time and I hope that most of these sticking points will be addressed.

- Nozindaba ZikaNdaba

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Terrence Mapurisana - Arts and Culture

|2009-05-18 06:12:10

Since you said you are a cultural activist, I think it is very important to
remember and know that the correct portfolio for the minister is MINISTRY OF
EDUCATION, SPORTS, ARTS AND CULTURE. How could you leave the arts. Thank
you.

Terrence Mapurisana. ZBC NEWS Arts and Entertainment Editor

Clayton Ndlovu - Well Said,

|2009-05-18 09:53:18

Well, said. Your article touches on the very issues that most of us in the Arts
industry have been and continue to be concerned about. The arts industry is dead
and needs to be rebuilt. The National Arts Council whose main mandate is to fund
and monitor the growth of the Arts, have been short changed by the very Ministry
that they fall under. If you go to the provinces, you are shocked as to how the
National Arts Council officers are strugling to manage. They do not own even
bicycles to visit groups let alone offices to give the appropriate support that
they are supposed to give. Then the head office, the NAC board and the
management are also struggling to implement any policy due to lack of resources.
The offices do not resemble any serious appreciation of the arts industry that
it serves. They are renting somewhere in a corner and the place itself looks
dead. The National Associations that used to exist are no more. The likes ...

Knocks

|2009-05-18 20:01:55

Who are you Zikandaba?

Murume

|2009-05-18 22:15:44

Coltart seems to be one of the serious Ministers. I hope he will be able to cut
through the inertia of the civil service and get some real results.

Clayton Ndlovu - Yes I agree with you Murume But...

|2009-05-19 04:51:36

Yes I agree with you Murume, but my oppinion is that our leaders and Artits in
the Arts industry need to voice their concerns. There is need to shout the
loudest in order to make the government realize that it is an important industry
therefore, it requires serious attention.The Minister ColART will not be able to
make changes without the artits input.

BB	\|2009-05-20 02:56:28

That will be difficult Clayton. I think artists are not very organised. Give me
the name of one active and functional body that can claim to represent artists'
interests. I don't know any. How then can we make any meaningful representations
to the minister?

Clayton Ndlovu - Not difficult at all

|2009-05-22 18:50:24

BB...
Its not difficult for artists to make their representations to the
Minister. All the Minister has to do is organize forums where artists will come
and give ther oppinions. My understanding is that the Minister through NACZ has
already held some meetings with the Board of NACZ and a few Gurus in the arts to
access the arts industry. Therefore, if artists dont get organized the chaos
will continue.