Information on mobility of cultural professionals in the SADC

(A paper presented by Stephen Chifunyise to the Regional Cultural Policy Development Seminar held at Bronte Hotel in Harare, 2^nd- 4^th May 2013)

Introduction

This brief is an extract from a report on the study on mobility of artists in Zimbabwe, commissioned by Nhimbe Trust. The report has not yet been submitted to Nhimbe Trust or been put forward for national discourse and consideration. The section on cultural mobility information is based on responses of respondents in Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Responses from Angola and Tanzania are still to be received. The state of cultural mobility information of these countries was compared to that in the United Kingdom and the United States of America and some European Union countries.

Transnational mobility of cultural professionals

Transnational or cross border mobility of cultural professionals has become a major source of enhanced viability of the creative industries. Mobility is simply the practice of cultural professionals travelling outside their countries:

•   to seek or secure new and viable audiences
•   to secure short or long term employment in the creative industries in other countries
•   to broaden the scope of their artistic creativity
•   to secure training opportunities, apprenticeships and attachments to cultural institutions
•   to seek or secure more inspiring environments for enhanced creativity
•   to exchange works of art or artefacts between galleries, museums and exhibition spaces or indeed the touring of art exhibitions.

Mobility information

Mobility information is:

•   information on regulatory issues on the mobility of cultural professionals
•  information on visas, work-permits, regulations and practices on taxation, levies, intellectual property rights, and social security schemes applicable to cross border mobile professionals
•  information about the existence of cultural mobility schemes or support systems or financial instruments
• information about mediation authorities on cultural mobility issues, such as denial of entry, deportation and restriction orders. (Information on what actions to take to appeal by cultural professionals who have been denied entry into country)
•  information whose availability prevents cross border officials from misapplying mobility regulations because they are not aware of updated mobility regulations
•  information that ensures that mobile cultural professionals comply with mobility regulations, procedures, practices, guidelines or rules.

 

Situations revealed by respondents

Most of the responses received about mobility information revealed the following situations:

•  Mobility information was only secured or obtained through specific officers in the department of culture or national arts and culture councils or arts promoters 
•  Most of the leaders of professional organizations have no mobility information
•  Mobility information is only obtained from the department of immigration
•  Most cultural professionals have no access to information until they begin to initiate cross border mobility
• In some countries mobility information is the preserve of arts and cultural promoters, agents and festival managers
• Mobility information obtained by arts and culture promoters and arts agents differs from one promoter to another
• Mobility information is obtained from several offices in the same government.

Searching for mobility information

It is vital to appreciate that seeking mobility information is not necessarily arts and culture promoters, agents, arts managers and festival organizers only, but also various institutions dealing with arts and culture enterprises, education and research institutions. The normal search for mobility information is to access national, government or state websites on “entry into the country”. South Africa is the only country among the ones examined where the Government’s portal with mobility information can be interfaced by googling “entry into South Africa”. The portal indicates that issue of visas – the type of visas and how to apply for them – can be accessed from the Home Affairs Department’s website, with information on visas for short term employment as artists, entertainers, cultural exchange programmes and those for studies. Cultural professionals wishing to enter South Africa are referred to the different forms and the conditions for applying.

In other countries of the SADC, government departments providing information on entry into the country do not deal with mobility of cultural professionals, or refer to the appropriate information on mobility. In Namibia, for example, the government portal indicates that business people do not have to apply for a visa, but once the visitor indicates that he or she is an entertainer or performing artist, the immigration officials begin to demand work permits. In the case of Zimbabwe, a google search on “entry into Zimbabwe” will not take one to a government website but to websites of touring companies and agencies. If by chance one accesses the National Arts Council website, one would only come across mobility information if one was to visit the site “Instructions to Promoters”.

In comparison, a search on “entry into UK” leads to various sites such as “visiting arts” or a government portal, which indicate which government departmental websites will provide information on what forms of visa requirement pertain to people entering the UK for engagements as artists, entertainers, athletes, etc. Equally clear is the information on what type of visas people entering the United States of America as artists, entertainers, athletes, on cultural exchange trips, or students should apply for and what forms should be used for applying for particular visas.

Recommendations

The following recommendations have been made by some of the respondents to mobility information questions:

1. Cultural information networks that could be supported and capacitated to provide up to date mobility information at national level should be identified.

2. Professional organizations of cultural operators should be capacity built and provided with mobility information so that they can effectively service their members.

3. There should be regular platforms for professional organizations in the arts and culture field to articulate obstacles to their mobility.

4. Cultural professionals should advocate for the creation of a shared database on cultural mobility in the SADC.

5. Governments in the SADC should ensure that mobility information is available to all professional organizations of cultural operators.

6. Cultural professionals should advocate for the creation of a one-stop shop for mobility information that will also respond to mobility needs of the different sections of cultural operators.

7. The region should create a shared database on cultural mobility.

8. Cultural mobility information should be available to all professional arts and culture organisations.

9. There should be capacity building of art and culture organisations so that they can effectively service their constituents.

10. Cultural knowledge networks that could be supported and capacitated at national level to provide updated mobility information should be identified.

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