The first mapping of the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) in Montenegro: Bringing creative minds all together
29 Oct 2020
The cultural and creative industries (CCIs) are one of the fastest growing sectors in the world, and Montenegro is no exception; the country’s emerging CCIs have contributed to job creation and income generation. In order to ensure creativity is part of Montenegrin sustainable development plans, a comprehensive overview of the creative sector is essential. The project Mapping and developing cultural and creative industries in Montenegro, supported by the UNESCO International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFCD) which ended in February 2020, aims to map the CCIs and enhance the entrepreneurial skills among creative professionals.
The mapping, implemented by the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (IPER), serves as a basis for evidenced-based policymaking. A publication titled Mapping of Cultural and Creative Industries in Montenegro – Assessment of the economic contribution of the cultural and creative industries was launched, providing policymakers with a reference point as they formulate and monitor policies in the forthcoming period. In addition, a general strategic framework Guidelines for the Development of Cultural and Creative Industries in Montenegro was developed to promote further policy improvement.
During the mapping exercise, 11 sectors, 40 fields and 57 occupations related to CCIs have been identified. According to the survey, in 2017, the CCIs accounted for 1.5% of gross value added (GVA), engaged 4.4% of national workforce, and generated 1.4% of the total revenues of business entities. The research has also shown that cultural consumption represented 2.3% of total household expenditure in the same year. During the period of 2014-2017, the number of business entities (Graph 1) in the culture sector has shown a steady increase. These figures suggest that the Montenegrin culture sector possesses a reliable growth potential, which can be reinforced by evidence-based cultural policies.
Shaping a united culture sector
“In the world of culture, there are so many creative people. However, they are not familiar with the market. I would like to help them turn creative activities into exciting careers,” said Dragana Radevic, project manager and economist at IPER. To bridge bold creative ideas with practical entrepreneurial skills, a series of workshops were organized for over 200 cultural entrepreneurs in three regions of Montenegro. Trainings covered diverse domains including branding, marketing, finance and public relations. “The two-day training was very educational, dynamic, interesting and creative. I sincerely hope that we will be able to make use of it and apply the acquired knowledge within our professions,” said Bojana Jelovac, theatre director and one of the beneficiaries of these workshops. Trainings provided opportunities for cultural professionals not only to get to know each other but also to gain a comprehensive overview of the industry.
To share good entrepreneurial practices in the CCIs and inspire people to follow these examples, a publication entitled Cultural and Creative Industries in Montenegro – Selected Successful Stories was published. The publication highlighted 17 entrepreneurial success stories in the arts ranging from film, drama, publishing, photography to design. “This is the first time ever that cultural entrepreneurs in Montenegro are in the spotlight. It’s important to increase the visibility of these success stories to inspire and encourage more talented people to start their careers in the culture sector,” explained Radevic.
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Nada Vojinovic at Zahara Photo Studio
© IPER