MINISTRY DEPARTMENT OF ARTS AND CULTURE
Ministry in Cape Town

The Fund seeks to strengthen knowledge and skills development for young artists and also give them opportunities to apply for funding to further support their ventures. South Africa’s arts and culture are as varied as one might expect from such a diverse nation. The blend of local cultures and diverse influences make for a melting pot of creativity that never disappoints. As custodians of South Africa’s diverse cultural, artistic and linguistic heritage, the Department of Arts and Culture aims to develop and preserve South African culture to ensure social cohesion and nation-building. South Africa’s cultural and creative industry is a good revenue generator, and still has great potential to produce more and contribute to job creation. The Cultural Industries Growth Strategy capitalises on the economic potential of the craft, music, film, publishing and design industries. The Department of Arts and Culture provides support in the form of financing, management capacity, advocacy and networking, and by developing public-private partnerships and other initiatives that use culture as a tool for urban regeneration. Worldwide, the turnover of cultural industries makes this the fifth-largest economic sector, which comprises design, the performing arts, dance, film, television, multimedia, cultural heritage, cultural tourism, visual arts, crafts, music and publishing. The Department has entered into partnerships with significant stakeholders to map the cultural industries. Cabinet has identified the creative and cultural industries as one of the drivers of economic growth and job creation in the implementation of the New Growth Path. The Industrial Policy Action Plan 2 identifies the cultural industries, in particular the craft sector, music, jewellery production, clothing, leather, footwear and textiles as some of the sectors that will be subjected to focused and significant support by the State. o A comprehensive drive to enhance both social equity and competitiveness\. o Systemic changes to mobilise domestic investment around activities that could create sustainable employment\. o Strong social dialogue to focus all stakeholders on encouraging growth in employment-creating activities. Social Cohesion and Nation-Building Defining social cohesion The department defines social cohesion as the degree of social integration and inclusion in communities and society at large, and the extent to which mutual solidarity finds expression among individuals and communities. Nation-building in this sense, and in the context of South Africa, cannot be the perpetuation of hierarchies of the past, based on pre-given or ethnically engineered and imposed divisions of people rooted in prejudice, discrimination and exclusion. It calls for something else; that is, a rethinking, in South African terms, of what social cohesion, linked to nation-building, should be. It should, no doubt and in essence, be directed towards the practical actualisation of democracy in South Africa. Shared Origin and history, internationally recognised territory, unitary sovereign state, single judicial system, Single public education system, Nationally recognised languages, Nationally recognised cultures, Nationally recognised religions, shared values, shared symbols, and shared national consciousness. In South Africa, the diverse cultures, languages and religions should not be seen as impediments to national unity given the statutory equality accorded to all citizens.