FUNDING THE ARTS AND CULTURE SECTOR IN ZIMBABWE DEMANDING

 By Simbarashe Mudhokwani

The state of funding availability for the arts and culture sector in Zimbabwe has its own challenges that require fundraising strategies and increased collaborations. The Arts and Culture sector’s artists, institutions, activities, events, associations and organizations have great needs of acquiring substantial financial support that will enable them to implement projects, some of which are either of national or regional interest. The work becomes much easier, efficient and effective when funds are made available in substantial amounts.

There is a high demand of financial supporting the arts and culture sector in Zimbabwe. With a constitution of sub-sectors of the arts and culture sector, funding is greatly needed for financing projects in these sub-sectors; 

• Musicians, song writers and distributing companies need funding to renovate their work places
• Film schools need funding for procuring equipment and film rig, rent offices or even buy vehicles
•  Cultural heritage sites and libraries are in need of funds to document histories and fence the cultural heritage sites
• The visual artists are in need of resources to procure equipment, establish centers through electrifying some working stations
• Publishing houses require printing machinery and buy  raw materials
• Performing artists require funds for them to buy equipment, P.A Systems, book venues and also renovate where they operate from.

Over and above all, these artists need resources to cover mobility to visit local, regional and international exhibitions and festivals. What could be the way that could assist to ensure that the fewer resources available are put to use and bring resonating impact? And also, what could be done to ensure that more resources for the sector are mobilized? How would the process be done? The above mentioned needs are only a minute component reflecting what the sector craves to do and have.

As it stands, there are remarkable numbers of artists that need to conduct researches, record music and establish studios but capital and financial resources are scantly available to cover every artist. Should the artists quite and consider engaging other professions? What could be the way forward for the good reasons of overcoming what the arts and culture sector is challenged and faced with?

There are some supporting structures in place that support arts development projects. These include; The Ministry of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, National Gallery of Zimbabwe, the UNESCO offices, Hivos, Zimbabwe German Society, Pamberi Trust, Alliance Francaise, Culture Fund and British Council only to mention the fewer. With a number of these institutions and amount of funding in the country, are the artists happy in ways the financial and technical support is being rendered and governed by the institutions that give grants or funding the wider artistic industries in Zimbabwe?

The governance of funding the arts sector in the country, are there any areas which the artists are unhappy and un-informed of? In geographical distribution of financial support, age and gender are the artists grateful of the representation of support that is going through to artists?

What are the artist recommendations to any institution, with regards to the state and position of funding the arts sector in Zimbabwe?

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