Visual intro to the SA Cultural Observatory

BY 31.10.17

WANT to know more about the South African Cultural Observatory (SACO) and what it does, but don't have much time? The SACO has just released a new, short(ish) introduction to the organisation on YouTube. 

We take you on a journey to better understand the work of this important South African statistical research centre tasked with ‘Measuring & Valuing South Africa’s Cultural & Creative Economy’. This introductory video is a quick overview of:

  • the SA Cultural Observatory in general
  • The history of Cultural Observatories
  • Why the SA Cultural Observatory was established, who is involved, where we are based and
  • A broad overview of the South African cultural economy and
  • And outline of what it is that we as the SA Cultural Observatory do

As part of the development of the 2011 Mzanzi Golden Economy Strategy the South African government moved to create the plan to bring a South African Cultural Observatory to life.

The main reason for establishing the South African Cultural Observatory in 2014 was that South Africa in general and the Department of Arts & Culture specifically needed information & data on the makeup of the arts, culture & heritage sectors and the creative & cultural industries.

The Cultural Observatory was established as a statistical research centre so we could better understand the industries role in:

  • Job creation & employment,
  • Ownership, transformation & skills,
  • GDP contribution,
  • And also the location & make-up of the sectors,
  • General trends,
  • Challenges & opportunities
  • the industry needs

South Africa also needed a central place for all cultural information. The result is the SACO. Watch to find out more: