Umtiza Arts Festival Report

On the 27^th of May 2024, the South African Cultural Observatory (SACO) took part in the 9^th edition of the Umtiza Arts Festival in East London. Named after the Umtiza tree which is prominent in many parts of the Eastern Cape, the festival initially began as a collaborative effort between the East London Guild Theatre, the East London Museum, and the Ann Bryant Gallery to act as a cultural hub for the city’s creative and cultural industries.

SACO presented their 2020 study “Towards a National Book Policy” at the UNESCO Creative City of Literature Programme of the festival – an apt discussion, as Buffalo City Metro had just been declared a UNESCO Creative City of Literature on World Cities Day in Paris. The presentation covered a variety of important issues such as literacy and reading in modern society, the importance of publishing in South Africa’s official languages and the role of government and the private sector in this domain.

Additionally, SACO spoke about Artificial Intelligence and its role within the creative and cultural industries, an important discussion given how books have been considered an effective means of transmitting knowledge and recording, while preserving and disseminating the cultural heritage of the South African people.