The prioritisation of cultural industries in ASGISA reasserts the government's assertion that encouraging and supporting the cultural industries in South Africa is one of the most powerful means of enhancing the country's identity and distinctiveness, while simultaneously providing an opportunity for economic sustainability.

This paper looks at the implications of the key priorities that were outlined by President Thabo Mbeki in his 2006 State of the Nation Address to the arts and culture sector. It states how these priorities will have a bearing in the oversight work of Parliament, particularly in ensuring that these objectives form a major tenant of the sector's 2006 strategic priorities.

2. The 2006 State of the Nation Address and the Arts and Culture Sector

In his 2006 State of the Nation Address, President Thabo Mbeki further elaborated on the broad strategic imperatives that he set in 2005. These strategic imperatives are underpinned by the government's commitment to prioritise accelerated and shared growth, particularly in bridging the gap between the first and the second economy.

The 2006 address signifies a very strong sentiment by the government that it is time to ensure that the social and economic benefits of freedom in South Africa are shared among all sectors. Among some of these benefits is access to economic opportunities and improved living conditions. The President outlined the following priorities, which have a bearing to the the arts and culture sector:

2. 1 The Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative of South Africa (ASGISA)

The President indicated that the government's ASGISA is not intended to cover all elements of a comprehensive development plan, but rather it consists of a limited set of interventions that are intended to serve as catalysts to accelerated and shared growth and development.

ASGISA identifies particular sectors of the South African economy for accelerated growth, building on the work already done within the context of our existing Micro-Economic Reform Programme. Among these sectors is the creative industry, which include advertising, architecture, the art and antiques market, crafts, design, designer fashion, film and video, interactive leisure software, music, the performing arts, publishing, software and computer games, television and radio.

ASGISA elaborates on the government's commitment towards enhancing the role of the creative industries in addressing social and economic development. The Cultural Industries Growth Strategy acknowledges that enhancing the contribution of the arts and culture sector to the economy of the country will have a strong impact in eradicating poverty and creating more jobs for local communities. The arts and culture needs to reposition itself to ensure that it benefits from ASGISA. The sector should ensure that the Cultural Industries Growth Strategy is also aligned with the priorities and objectives of ASGISA.

2. 1. 1 Addressing constraints to growth and development

ASGISA identifies the cost of doing business and the unnecessarily high cost of intermediate inputs as among some of the key constraints to growth and development in South Africa. In this regard, it intends initiating measures to address all these constraints, including the limited domestic market and monetary and financial issues. The arts and culture sector in South Africa has been, for many years, limited to the domestic market. There is a need for the sector to devise means and strategies to ensure that it expands to the global market, especially in ensuring that it benefits from the strong rand.

2. 1.2 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment

Like some of the country's key economic interventions, ASGISA has once more confirmed the need for South Africa to expand the country's Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME) sector, paying particular attention in this regard to Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, and the development of women and the youth.

The arts and culture sector has among the largest concentration of SMME initiatives. However, the major challenge is the lack of financial support and investment. The sector should ensure that it reasserts itself in benefiting from ASGISA. There is a need to ensure that the funds that are allocated for the development of creative industries are also distributed to SMME's.

2. 1.3 Creating employment opportunities

The President indicated that ASGISA provides an excellent opportunity for the social partners to undertake the "collaborative action" they visualised at the Growth and Development Summit focused on "Promoting and mobilising investment and creating decent work for all"

The Cultural Industries Growth Strategy indicates that cultural industries in South Africa have the potential to create on average between 3-5% of employment. The music industry alone has grown in value by over 70%, making it the 23rd fastest growing music market in the world, which signifies its impact to bridge the gap between the first and second economy where the majority of the poor are located.

The inability of the sector to expand to the global market and the lack of investment opportunities are some of the key issues that limit the growth of the sector, particularly in creating more employment opportunities. The expansion of the sector has a major potential for benefiting the poorest communities.

2.2 Rebuilding the country's divided past

The 2006 State of the Nation Address reaffirms the government's commitment to ensure social cohesion and building on the "bonds that ties us", as a nation. It reiterates the government's commitment to "a peoples contract for the preservation, protection and promotion of the country's living heritage." This clearly signifies the importance of the sector in rebuilding the country's divided past. As part of this priority, the President indicated that this year marks the anniversary of the following key activities:

2.2.1 The Anniversary of the Centenary of Satyangraha

Satyagraha was born on 11 September 1906 at a meeting organised by Mahatma Gandhi, the founder of the oldest existing political organisation in South Africa, the Natal Indian Congress, at the Empire Theatre in Johannesburg, as weapon for fighting injustices perpetuated against powerless groups.

During the development of Satyagraha Gandhi expressed his dream of a free South Africa, a vision that informed the struggle against apartheid and eventually led to the demise of the apartheid regime in 1994. Speaking in 1907, he said:

"If we look into the future [of South Africa], is it not a heritage we have to leave to posterity, that all the different races commingle and produce a civilisation that perhaps the world has not yet seen?"

It is part of this belief that inspired the country's fight against colonial rule and the apartheid regime's apartheid policies. The essence of the country's participatory democracy signifies the triumph of Gandhi's Satyagraha over the oppressive apartheid regime and colonial rule in South Africa.

2.3 The 50^th anniversary of the Women's March

In 1955 over 20 000 women, representing millions of oppressed women from all parts of South Africa march on Pretoria to protest against the imposition of passes on African women to "prove" that they were allowed to enter areas reserved for white people under apartheid.

2.4 15^th Anniversary of the first meeting of Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA)

The first meeting of Convention for a Democratic South Africa (CODESA) was held on 20 December 1991, and resulted in the adoption of a Declaration of Intent. The importance of this particular moment in the history of South Africa was underlined by the presence at CODESA of international observers from the United Nations, the Organisation of African Unity, the Movement of Non Aligned Countries and the Commonwealth.

2.5 30^th Anniversary of the Soweto Uprising

16 June 1976 occupies a special place in the history of the struggle for national liberation in South Africa. It a historical moment, which is regarded as a turning point for the existence of the decades of struggle and sacrifice that preceded the fight against apartheid in South Africa. In many parts of the country, students demonstrated and challenged the use of Afrikaans as a medium of instruction in black schools.

The 30th anniversary of the Soweto Uprising honours all the young people who lost their lives in the struggle against Apartheid and Bantu Education in 16 June 1976 when high-school students in Soweto started protesting for better education and police responded with teargas and live bullets.

2.6 20^th Anniversary of the violent death of President Samora Machel

President Machel died in a plane crash, which been one of the great mysteries of the apartheid era. In his State of the Nation Address, President Mbeki indicated that the 1986 plane crash still requires a satisfactory explanation. A week later, the Minister of Safety and Security, Mr. Charles Nqakula (MP) stated that the investigation will be re-opened as soon as possible.

2.7 10^th Anniversary of the adoption of our Constitution

The adoption of the country's Constitution on 8 May 1996 was the result of remarkably detailed and inclusive negotiations that were carried out with an acute awareness of the injustices of the country's non-democratic past. In this tenth year, the country has made remarkable great strides in entrenching democratic rule, value and respect for people's rights.

2.8 Centenary of the Bhambatha Uprising

Chief Bhambatha ka Mancinza of the Zondi chiefdom in Mdlovana led an uprising against British troops in 1906 against the Natal Poll Tax of 1905. This tax was introduced to increase revenue for the Natal Colonial government that was suffering the effects of a severe economic depression. It applied to all South Africans, although was keenly felt by the already economically depressed Africans. Chief Bhambatha was captured and beheaded by the British imperial powers in the early 1920s.

The 2006 State of the Nation Address builds on the government's programme of action that has been established in the last two years. Of significant importance is the government's new ASGISA. The prioritisation of creative industries in ASGISA elaborates on the government's commitment to ensure that the arts and culture sector continues to play a key role in fostering a strong growth part, particularly in creating more employment opportunities and bridging the gap between the first and the second economy.

Parliament should ensure the active participation of the arts and culture sector in thoroughly articulating its role in benefiting from the government's shared growth initiative.

Parliament should engage with the sector to ensure that the prioritised national events play a meaningful role in rebuilding the country's divided past, particularly in fostering social cohesion among the various communities. Parliament should seek detailed plans from the relevant stakeholders, particularly the Department of Arts and Culture, on the participation and benefit of marginalised sectors in these national events.

4. 1 Promoting social cohesion

In his 2005, State of the Nation Address, the President indicated that the government would establish department-based programmes to address exclusion based on race and gender. In order to meet this priority, the government has finalised a review of the impact of the Socio-Economic Transformation on social cohesion in communities across the South African society. It is currently developing a Social Sector Cluster Indicator Framework, which includes assessment of indicators by gender and race at the level of disaggregation to ensure monitoring of progress covers these two aspects.

4.2 Skills development

The President indicated that the government will improve the effectiveness of the skills development structures in government for the implementation of the Human Resources Development Strategy and allocated R219 billion over five years5. The Strategy was completed and launched in 2005.

The Media, Advertising, Publishing, Printing and Packaging Sector Education and Training Authority (MAP PP-SET A) and the Department of Arts and Culture is expanding its partnership through the Creative Industries Skills Development Programme (CREATE SA), funded through the Department of Labour's National Skills Fund (NSF). This multi-sector project is designed to oversee the development and implementation of quality, demand,.driven, work-based and work relevant learnerships and skills programmes aimed at developing the productivity and competitiveness of new entrants and existing workers across the Creative Industries.

1. Gillings, K G. 1989. The Bambata rebellion of 1906: Nkandla operations and the Battle of Mame Gorge, 10 June 1906. Military History Journal, 8(1), in http://rapidttp.com/milhistlvoI081kg.html.

2. Hadebe, M. M. 2003. A contextualisation and examination of the impi yamakhanda (1906 uprising) as reported by J. L. Dube in lIanga Lase Natal, with special focus on Dube's attitude to Dinizulu as indicated in his reportage on the treason trial of Dinizulu, unpublished Master of Arts (History) dissertation, University of Natal, Durban.

3. Mbeki, T. 2006. State of the Nation Address. Parliament of South Africa, Cape Town.

4. Mbeki, T. 2005. State of the Nation Address. Parliament of South Africa.

5. The Cultural Strategy Group. 1998. Creative South Africa: A Strategy For Realising The Potential Of The Cultural Industries.

6.Gillings, K G. The Bambata Rebellion Of 1906: Nkandla Operations and The Battle Of Mome Gorge, 10 June 1906. The South African Military History Society. Military History Journal Vol 8 No 1. http://rapidttp.com/milhist/voI081kg.html.