Cultural Policy

Just think about what would become of any music industry, whether in Africa or beyond, if copyright laws, royalty collection, music workshops, and formal education, among others, were not carefully planned and executed. The result would undoubtedly render such industries unwieldable and exceptionally difficult to operate in. And it is precisely in countries where cultural policy is lacking that artists are finding difficulties to explore their talent and ply their trade in a meaningful way. A lack of cultural policy would also hinder a nation’s identity to the outside world and unto itself.  

For this reason we have chosen Cultural Policy as this month’s theme. Below are articles that you might find of interest, with more content coming your way throughout January.

Overview texts:

• Preserving musical heritage in South Sudan
• Ethiopia’s cultural policy
• Cultural policy in Eritrea
• Cultural policy in Swaziland
• Cultural policy in Chad
• Zimbabwe’s cultural policy
• Rwanda’s cultural policy
• Malawi’s cultural policy
• Ethiopia’s cultural policy
• Cultural policy in Swaziland
• Zambia’s cultural policy

News and features:

• Kenyan Copyright Amendment Bill brings new hope
• Call for applications: Concerts SA Music Mobility Fund
• Controversy at Nigeria’s copyright body
• ActionAid Sierra Leone to use music against electoral violence
• Ghana rewards musicians with lifetime pensions
• MIAConnects artists on their way
• MIAConnects holds Mali music workshop
• Somaliland music workshop ‘a success’
• MIAConnects holds workshops in Chad
• East Africa to fight music piracy with harmonised laws
• Drums bring Nigeria, S Korea closer
• Zim, Zambia councils cement cultural relations
• Rwanda: Collection of artists' royalties a big flop