Capturing the state of culture and creative sectors in Tanzania
Cultural and creative industries are growing fast and becoming an significant source of growth and employment in Tanzania. Today, the country is home to a vibrant cultural scene including Zanzibar Film Festival, Azam Sinema Zetu Film Festival, Tulia Dances Festival and the Jamafest. Bongo Flava, a blend of RnB and the country’s traditional music sung in English or Swahili, is gaining popularity. Local creativity is on the rise, and a stronger institutional and legal environment can accelerate this positive trend.
Against this backdrop, Tanzania will hold a national training workshop on participatory policy monitoring from 21 to 23 October 2019 in Dar-es-Salaam. The workshop will mark the country’s engagement leading to the preparation of its first quadrennial periodic report on the implementation of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions.
The report, a statutory obligation for all Parties to the Convention, will capture Tanzania’s policy efforts to support creativity and artists made in the last four years. The reporting requires the inputs of both governmental and non-governmental actors, creating a space for inclusive dialogues among ministries, civil society and creative workers. Such open communication is expected to reveal gaps, challenges and priority areas of action for future cultural policies. The workshop will be led by international experts Ayeta Anne Wangusa and David Waweru, members of the UNESCO Expert Facility and national expert, Doreen A. Sinare.
A multi-stakeholder consultation on 24th of October 2019 will initiate the participatory process to elaborate the periodic report and to raise awareness on the 2005 Convention. It will be opened by a high representative of the Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports of Tanzania, Tirso Dos Santos, Head and Representative, UNESCO Dar es Salaam, and H.E Anders Sjöberg, Ambassador of Sweden to Tanazania. The consultation will be followed by a Create 2030 Talk on the impact of the digital revolution on Tanzania’s culture and creative industries. Panelists will discuss topics including the state of digital literacy amongst artists and creative entrepreneurs, digital innovations, and the digital disruption of the cultural value chain.
The workshop is organised by the Tanzanian Ministry of Information, Culture, Arts and Sports, the Tanzanian National Commission for UNESCO, and the UNESCO Office in Dar-es-Salaam in partnership with the UNESCO Regional Office in Nairobi. It is implemented within the framework of the initiative Re-shaping Cultural Policies for the Promotion of Fundamental Freedoms and the Diversity of Cultural Expressions funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.