There is growing recognition as articulated by Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) that the South Africa’s Cultural and Creative Industry/ Sector (CCI) substantially contributes to the economy and if adequately supported, can have a greater impact. DAC’s
There is growing recognition as articulated by Department of Arts and Culture (DAC) that the South Africa’s Cultural and Creative Industry/ Sector (CCI) substantially contributes to the economy and if adequately supported, can have a greater impact. DAC’s strategy is also to reposition the arts, culture and heritage sector to address social cohesion, creation of sustainable jobs and ensuring social and economic development. It is important to note, however, that “culture-led economic growth has proved highly unequal in the distribution of benefits” (Bell and Oakley, 2015: 5). They further indicate the cultural production tends to be concentrated in large urban areas and are often geographically biased towards wealthier areas and those with larger populations.
The CCI has significant public sector funding globally (Belfiore, 2004; Getzner, 2017; Long and Morpeth, 2016; Mulino, 2016; Petrova and Hristov, 2016). Bagwell et al. (2015) specifically state that grants from difference sources, but especially the public sector, have been crucial to a great deal of activity outside the more commercial parts of the sector. South Africa has similar trends as noted in the SACO (2018a) report that summarised the key findings from the monitoring and evaluation of DAC’s Mzansi Golden Economy (MGE) programme. Petrova and Hristov (2016) further note that public funding is among many sources. In this context, there is growing concern about the use of public funding and understanding the implications thereof.
The CCI in South Africa has attracted funding from several public and private sources. However, there is limited information on the sources of funding and amounts provided. Furthermore, which sectors/ components of the CCI receive funding has not been assessed. There is therefore a need to better understand the CCI funding environment given that funding in this sector remains uncoordinated and information is fragmented. In this context, therefore, the overall goals of this paper are to:
• Critically examine current scholarly literature of public funding of the CCI, especially to identify comparative international practices and implications.
• Identify current sources of funding for the CCI, specifically focusing on government sources
• Where possible, establish the amount of funding provided to the CCI
• Unpack implications and challenges associated with current government funding trends
In terms of the methodological approach adopted, a desktop study was used. Relevant government department reports, policy documents that stimulate CCI (and related) funding, Calls for funding and websites of funders were be sourced. Academic sources were also consulted that focuses on government sector support for the CCI. Additionally, relevant South African Cultural Observatory (SACO) reports were used. For example, the Monitoring and Evaluation reports of the different categories of DAC MGE funding included information on DAC funding as well as asked about funding received from other sources (SACO, 2018a; 2018b).
