The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe which coordinates the Culture Week Celebrations, which is celebrated annually across the breadth and width of Zimbabwe, is inviting individuals, government and private organisations to support Zimbabwean artists in the Culture Week Celebrations which run from 14 21 May 2011.
This years Culture Week Celebrations will kick off by the National Official Launch on 14 May 2011, in Gweru at the Gweru Civic Centre. NACZ has extended an invitation to the Minister responsible for Culture, Hon. David Coltart, Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, to be the Guest of Honour at the launch. As has been the norm, the official launch and the celebrations themselves have generated a lot of interest from the local community as this years celebrations promises to be aglow with entertainment. The National Launch will be followed by subsequent Provincial launches country wide.
The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe leads the nation in commemorating the World Day of Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development which falls on 21 May 2011 and allowing Zimbabwe to join the world in also celebrating the diversity of global cultures. It is a day when countries and communities hold commemorative events to showcase their cultures, unique as they are, but being part of the world culture, which need to be preserved for posterity. The day also promotes the peaceful co-existence of diverse cultures.
The celebrations are also meant to bring together diverse cultural activities for public consumption, provide a platform for the exchange of cultural ideas and views, promoting cultural activities, goods and services that can be harnessed for national development. The celebrations are also meant to bring the arts to the fore and allow artists and consumers alike to view the issue of professionalization within arts and culture.
These celebrations provide an opportunity for Zimbabweans to appreciate the employment opportunities in the Arts and Culture sector. By showcasing their products to the local communities, the weeklong activities afford arts groups a marketing platform to the local, regional and international communities. It is in the same vein that the business conduct of the artistes is brought into scrutiny. The practitioners themselves can start to reflect on their business conduct viz-a-viz ethics.
The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe says it is time to professionalize the creative industries, by also formalizing their operations in order to give them equal market space and considerations. However the people to make the first step towards that are the arts practitioners themselves. There is need to generate talk around the issue and proffer solutions for the need to professionalize the sector.
A professionalized sector will be productive, organised and competitive. Zimbabwes economy needs to start to feel a growth effected by the creative industries. The potential of the arts and culture to make significant contribution to the economy of the nation cannot be under estimated. The industries thereof within the arts and culture need to be propped and demanded of them to match to the claims. It is the NACZ view that the sleeping elephant should be awoken and play its part in leading the economic development of Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile preparations of the National launch are at an advanced stage, a delegation led by the NACZ Deputy Director, Nicholas Moyo, toured the venue and held a meeting with artists and stakeholders in Gweru. The team satisfied itself of the work done so far and emphasized on the need to mobilize the community of Gweru and the surrounding districts to join the celebrations. All roads lead to Gweru Civic Centre come Saturday, 14th May 2011. The commemorations will be lead by a procession in the morning.
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