Story by Colette Musanyera
THE government has pledged unwavering commitment towards improving the arts and creative sector by putting in place long-term strategies to promote the creative industry.
In her keynote address during a strategic workshop for the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Minister Kirsty Coventry vowed to create an enabling environment for creatives to succeed in their respective disciplines.
“Our duty as a ministry is to create an enabling environment for our artists to succeed. It is our duty as government to ensure that the environment is enabling for our CCI practitioners to make it,” she said.
The Minister also made a clarion call for artists to tell the Zimbabwean story through film.
She said, “I want to focus on how we can open up Zimbabwe’s film industry. It’s a trillion-dollar industry which we are not having enough access to. Equipment costs and duties for filmmakers are sometimes deterrent but the global audience is hungry for African content, and we are a new space. I also want to make sure that Zimbabwe becomes the destination of choice for film and documentary makers. If we don’t capitalise on that, we will lose out on millions. We have so much talent and we need to identify which sectors are capable of opening opportunities that will allow all other sectors to be noticed.”
Honourable Coventry also rallied her ministry to put in place measures which cushion and empower artists upon retirement or incapacitation.
