Reshaping Cultural Policies for the Promotion of Fundamental Freedoms and the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in Tanzania
The culture and creative industries in the United Republic of Tanzania are booming and are employing a majority of young people and women. Vibrant festivals, performances and awards, a dynamic music sector and a thriving crafts, arts, film and publishing sectors are just a few examples of how the CCIs have become a major sector for development. The cultural policy landscape in Tanzania includes the National Culture Policy (1997) and the Zanzibar Cultural Policy (2005), both of which are under review. Mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar also have established copyright laws through the Copyright and Neighbouring Rights Act (1999, Mainland) and the Copyright Act (2003, Zanzibar). Zanzibar and Mainland have equipped themselves with dedicated institutions such as the National Arts Council, the Film Board of Tanzania, the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority and the Copyright Society of respectively Tanzania and Zanzibar. The cultural and creatives industries are termed as the fastest growing industries in Tanzania. The Economic Survey 2018 estimates a growth rate of 13.7% (Ministry of Finance and Planning).
Nonetheless, efforts to strengthen the cultural value chain and to build a comprehensive institutional and legal environment for young talents to flourish are needed. As such, Tanzania is embarking to evaluate and monitor its cultural policies and innovative practices as well as to identify specific challenges and gaps through the drafting of its first Quadrennial Periodic Report (QPR) on the implementation of the 2005 Convention. Establishing a unique participatory process to complete this exercise, Tanzania will gather various stakeholders, including governmental representatives and civil society organisations to define key priority areas of actions and to review its cultural policies, notably regarding copyright laws, the status of the artist or the digital environment. This will enable to support Tanzania’s commitment to put creativity as a key pillar for sustainable development.
A multi-stakeholder consultation took place on 24 October 2019 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in view of the elaboration of Tanzania’s periodic report. The consultation gathered representatives from various ministries, civil society actors and cultural operators. The consultation was the opportunity to highlight some achievements and challenges in the cultural and creative sectors, notably that the arts and entertainment sector was identified as amongst the fastest growing sectors in Tanzania, employing a majority of young people and women. However, challenges include inadequate coordination, limited professional capacities of the arts and culture stakeholders as well as limited innovation and lack of support, as well as a need to improve the cultural policies and their implementation.
The multi-stakeholder consultation was followed by a Create 2030 Talk on culture and creative industries and the digital revolution with panellists from civil society. The Talk gave the opportunity to engage a debate on the state of digital literacy among artists and creative entrepreneurs, training programmes designed to strengthen digital skills and competencies and on digital innovations for cultural and creative industries.
A national training workshop took place from 20 to 23 October 2019 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, facilitated by Ayeta Anne Wangusa and David Waweru, members of the UNESCO Expert Facility and supported by Doreen Anthony Sinare, national expert. The national team, in charge of elaborating and drafting Tanzania’s periodic report in a participatory manner, was trained on the UNESCO 2005 Convention and its Monitoring Framework and how to fill in the periodic report form. The workshop included a series of presentations as well as group exercises and led to the identification of a series of policies and measures to be included in the periodic report. A drafting team has been selected to follow-up on the collection of data and drafting of the report. The Tanzanian national team is composed of representatives from mainland Tanzania and Zanzibar. Three meetings have been planned with the national team.
On 10 March 2020, a multi-stakeholder public presentation of the draft periodic report was organised in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Co-organised by the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports and the UNESCO Regional Office for Eastern Africa, the UNESCO Office in Dar es Salaam and the National Commission of the United Republic of Tanzania, the public presentation gathered more than 70 participants. The objectives of the public presentation were to share the process and results of the periodic reporting exercise, to foster an interactive dialogue and gather comments and inputs from relevant stakeholders and to support the formulation of policy recommendations. The Minister for Information, Culture, Arts and Sports gave opening remarks together with the Ambassador of Sweden to the United Republic of Tanzania.
An analysis of the trends of Tanzania’s implementation of the UNESCO 2005 Convention and the draft periodic report were presented to the participants. Interactive discussions through group work was fostered, each group analysing one of the four goals of the Convention’s Monitoring Framework. The participants included representatives from various ministries, professional associations, artists, and civil society organisations. Particular attention was paid to regional representatives and local governance issues through the participation of several representatives from Zanzibar and the Ministry of Regional Administration and Local Government.