The British Council has released three reports that indicate there are major opportunities in the creative sector that East African states should seize.

The reports — Scoping Creative Economy in East Africa, Scoping the East African Music Sector and Scoping the Arts Scene in East Africa — draw their data from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia and Rwanda.

Areas mentioned include the core cultural expression domains of literature, music, performing arts, visual arts and creative areas such as film, museums, galleries, libraries, and photography. Our television screens and radio stations are providing spaces for theatre and music in impressive ways.

Recent activities show that the time is ripe for more targeted state, public and private sector involvement.

Innovation and co-creation spaces — such as iHub in Kenya, Hive Colab in Uganda, Kinu-Tech hub in Tanzania and Klab in Rwanda — often populated by young creatives, are coming up with applications that are providing solutions to social and economic problems.

There is a sense of urgency in using the imagination for self-expression and problem solving.  Swahiliphone Africa is being inscribed in the digital space through the arts and cultures of East Africa.

Constitutional and legislative frameworks are also being put in place for the promotion of creativity and innovation. At the regional level, the East African Community Creative and Cultural Industries Bill 2015 is being discussed in Arusha. It is likely to open up the region for the arts and cultures.

In Kenya, the Creative Economy Working Group has helped develop a National Arts and Culture Bill, currently in its final stages. Across the region, universities are setting up departments for the promotion of  arts and culture. And the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers has set up a secretariat in Nairobi while the Kenya National Theatre has been renovated as other theatre spaces are emerging with the support of county governments.

Without doubt, the infrastructure for the creative sector is expanding but more still needs to be done. 

According to the British Council reports, several areas require urgent support. First, newer approaches to learning and fostering skills. In other words, beyond teaching the arts, it is possible to integrate creative approaches throughout the curriculum. For example, it is possible to teach mathematics and science through the arts.

It is also possible to incorporate life skills, including entrepreneurship, in the curriculum in order to prepare students for life. Our educational system should encourage experimentation, innovation, and creativity instead of rote learning. We should celebrate “daring departure” as a method of learning.

Another area of support is legal and financial. Financial institutions consider creatives high risk and economically unattractive. Yet with resources, creatives can secure and build institutions that are economically sustainable.

Europe and the US are already doing it and Nigeria is reaping the benefits of the creative sector. The proposed EAC Creative and Cultural Industries Bill is to establish the Creative and Cultural Industries Development Council to guide the sector at the regional level. Issues related to intellectual property rights and marketing and distribution of products also need to be considered.

East African artistes are working feverishly to carve a niche for themselves and generate high quality digital content, fashion, design and film. New business models in arts and culture are emerging.

Creative producers and entrepreneurs are opening up possibilities for women and minorities to become active players in the creative economy.  Through technology incubation centres in East African cities, new information technologies are helping bridge the gaps between the local, regional and global trends.

The region is on the verge of a digital revolution, that will audience-focused. Mobile phones, currently at over 761 million in Africa, have penetrated every corner of the region and transformed the way people interact and transact business.

There  is also a growing realisation among leaders in East Africa that the creative industries can contribute to the eradication of poverty because of the number of youth involved in the value-chain. Digital connectivity is replacing the physical infrastructure that has been lacking in the region.

The reports highlight ways in which the arts can contribute to that development of society, shared prosperity and mutual attraction if well supported. The arts can also play a key role in helping East Africans integrate socially, politically and economically by building trust and increasing intercultural understanding. 

But certain weaknesses in the sector will need to be surmounted. Training and skills enhancement in the entertainment sector should be targeted at urban informal settlements and rural areas.

There is also a need to reduce the cost of Internet connectivity across the region, increase government funding in the sector and strengthen the arts within the educational system.

International collaborations in exhibitions, study exchange tours and  training in intellectual property and finance can also enrich the sector. Learning from institutions such as the Kenya Cultural Centre, ZIFF, Buni Media, the GoDown Art Centre, Kuona Trust, Uganda Arts Centre, Africa Inside Out, Asilia, Maisha Film Labs and  Hive Colab can be quite refreshing.

The reports will help the British Council strength its Arts Programme. However, there is the danger of focusing on the economics of creativity and undermining self-expression as a value in itself. The arts are vital to self-knowledge. They are a celebration of the imagination and life in its totality. Promoting the non-monetary value of art is equally important.

Because the reports draw most information from experiences in Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Kampala, it is possible to underrate the level of innovation taking place in rural areas.

Reading through these reports, it is evident that the visual arts sector is unevenly dominated by players from Europe and the US. Mentorship is clearly insufficient and local artistes do not have the networks necessary to sell their products effectively.

East African states will need to up their game, develop audiences for the arts and invest in distribution systems if the sector is to benefit the bulk of the people in the region.

Prof Kimani Njogu is an independent scholar and director of Twaweza Communications ([email protected]).