CULTURE Fund of Zimbabwe Trust grants for the arts sector
are now a thing of the past as artistes
are now having to explore fresh avenues for funding.
The trust will for the third year in a row not be calling
for arts practitioners to submit their project proposals. Key financiers of
Culture Fund have pulled the plug on the arts funding establishment citing
global economic instability.
Consequently, this has made it difficult for the fund to
fulfil its mandate. The last grants that were issued out by Culture Fund for
the creative sector amounted to slightly over one million United States dollars
for the 2015/2016 funding period.
The funds benefited 41 projects. For long, Culture Fund has
been a lifeline for struggling artistes as it financed critical projects for
the sector. However, the beneficiaries of the 2015/16 fund may have been the
last, according to Culture Fund director Farai Mpfunya.
“We no longer have grants programmes specifically for the
arts sector but that does not mean we are no longer working with the creative
sector. The fund used to give grants for arts programmes like album and film
production, sculpture, book printing and
so forth but we have since stopped doing so in the past three years because our
coffers no longer permit. We might start doing so again if funds are
available,” said Mpfunya.
Focus for the organisation has since shifted to “creativity
for development programmes” that apparently still have donor lifeline.
According to Mpfunya, this development is not peculiar to Zimbabwe.
In most parts of the world, particularly in Africa,
non-governmental organisations focus on addressing social, political and economic
issues through cultural programmes.
“The route we have taken is similar to what is happening
internationally. Focus is now on funding culture programmes that tackle issues
like health care, gender-based violence, child marriages and HIV/AIDS.
“For instance we are currently running programmes that seek
to investigate the cultural norms and values causing the spread of HIV/AIDS.
This has been done using music, theatre and dance programmes that we fund. The
thrust is no longer on the arts in general but the overall culture aspect,”
revealed Mpfunya.
The government of Sweden, through Sida, is among the few
funders that have kept the Culture Fund pulse alive through resource
cooperation on programmes like child marriages.
There is also the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) funded projects that aim to promote peace and reconciliation through
drama. These have been done before and after national elections to address
issues of political violence and tolerance.
“Perhaps it is prudent that people understand that we are
not an arts but a culture fund. Culture encompasses a lot of aspects; talk of
arts, health, politics etcetera. In a way we are still promoting arts through
making use of artistes like Sniper, Dorothy Meck and Eugene Mapondera in our
development programmes,” emphasised Mpfunya.
“Arts must be supported because it is not just for
entertainment. It is also a national duty that is crucial to the development of
a country. That is why artistes like the late Oliver Mtukudzi, Cde Chinx and
Charles Mungoshi have been honoured and recognised in the same way as other
fallen heroes.”
Global political changes that took place recently further
triggered the collapse of fund-driven aspects of the local arts industry. For
instance, in the United States of America, Donald Trump’s administration and
some European nations have made it clear that the arts are not a priority hence
they are cutting funds in that direction.
Pundits also note western imposed sanctions are making it
impossible for the organisation to fully implement its mandate. This sentiment
was perpetuated when Danish Embassy through the Danish International
Development Agency (Danida), pulled the plug on the organisation some two years
back, moving to South Africa.
Norwegian Embassy, a key supporter of the fund also did the
same.
Said Mpfunya: “…sanctions have played a role in affecting
our operations in the past 20 years. Apart from funding, we have instances in
which our artistes are denied visas to perform in countries like America and
Canada. At the same time our ability to borrow has also been compromised.”
Culture Fund is pivotal in supporting the country’s supreme
arts board, the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, including its programmes and
a number of other important national events like Intwasa Arts Festival and
Women’s Arts Festival.
Meanwhile, Mpfunya was recently selected to become a member
of the 2019-2022 Unesco-EU Expert Facility aimed at supporting initiatives for
the implementation and promotion of the 2005 Convention on the Protection and
Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions. The Expert Facility is a
pool of 42 specialist advisors who provide on-demand tailored technical assistance,
coaching and mentoring to parties. Sunday Mail
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