Arterial
Network
January 04, 2012
January 04, 2012
Arterial Network
Zimbabwe learnt with profound sadness the imminent closure in its
current location of the Book Cafe and Mannenberg, one of the most
vibrant arts centres in Zimbabwe.
Book Cafe and
Mannenberg will close its doors at Fife Avenue Mall in Harare after
15 years. The building owners, retail giant OK Zimbabwe and its
agent, Old Mutual, one of Africa’s largest property, finance
and insurance conglomerates whose parent company is in South Africa,
advised that the owners will occupy the premises from 2012. “Owner
occupation” is often the only means by which a lease can be
technically cancelled in this way under Zimbabwe law.
The Book Cafe
and Mannenberg have epitomised good practice in arts entrepreneurship
within a development framework, demonstrated by their impressive
milestones: in 15 years the venues achieved: 7,500 concerts and
events (mainly music and poetry), 650 public discussions, 90 book
launches, 35 theatre productions and staging of 250 international
touring acts. 600,000 audience entered the twin venues since opening,
as Book Cafe in 1997 (with Luck Street Blues), and Mannenberg in
2000 (with historic performances by jazz pianist Abdullah Ibrahim).
About 350 artists earned a livelihood at the venues in 2011 alone.
1200 artists participated annually in development programmes. 950
events were staged annually since 2008, and prior to 2008 about
600 events.
The majority
of the younger of musicians and poets to emerge in the last 15 years
started their careers at Book Cafe and number in hundreds, including
some world famous names. The venues gave rise to the urban mbira
phenomena in Harare’s nightlife, pioneered stand-up comedy,
championed freedom of expression, laid the foundation for slam poetry,
nurtured jazz development and a reggae renaissance, and created
major youth and female arts development programmes.
Book Cafe has
been Harare’s artists’ hub and meeting place; and every
day would see groups of film makers, poets, musicians, writers,
journalists and arts practitioners meeting informally and formally.
Many ask: why have Book Cafe and Mannenberg been forced to close
against this background?
A public outcry
has ensued over the closure with artists, audiences, civil society,
National Arts Council of Zimbabwe, the Mayor of Harare and the Minister
of Education, Sports, Arts and Culture expressing their disappointment.
Even the state media, normally at loggerheads with Book Cafe’s
role in human rights and freedom of expression, has been nominally
sympathetic. Artists have set up an impromptu ‘Save the Book
Cafe’ campaign, calling for an “artists’ boycott”
of the OK Zimbabwe chain of 52 large supermarkets and approaching
Old Mutual head office in South Africa.
What lies behind
these extraordinary events is, sadly, a saga of corporate indifference
towards the creative sector. Simply, it doesn’t matter that
350 artists lose livelihood (in a country with 85% unemployment),
or that 1200 artists lose their support system, their route to careers
in the arts. It doesn’t matter that this is ruinous for Zimbabwe’s
“intangible” cultural assets: nurturing art forms and
emerging artists, a culture of freedom of expression and the building
of arts audiences.
What matters
is that companies with assets measured in hundreds of millions if
not billions of US dollars, squeeze ever higher profits from investments;
and this in a country in ‘recovery’ from economic catastrophe,
where the currency collapsed amidst world record hyper-inflation.
Book Cafe reported that its rents had increased 500-700% (in US
dollars) since the 2008 economic collapse.
In many parts
of the world, including South Africa and Kenya there is some measure
of business support for the arts, expressed as corporate social
responsibility, branding, visibility, or investment. In Zimbabwe,
much of the corporate world seems not to comprehend the global phenomenon
of ‘creative economy’ and the immense economic benefits
and ‘intangible’ cultural assets that accrue.
It is a painful
reality that creative sector growth in Africa is being undermined
by pitifully low investment in new cultural infrastructure by the
state (arts centres such as Book Cafe, libraries, festival facilities,
theatres, galleries, training centres, production facilities, incentives
towards cultural production and trade). Africa lacks sufficient
cultural infrastructure to take advantage of its immense cultural
wealth and world-class innovation in the arts. With rare exceptions
of visionary philanthropy, African big business turns a blind eye
or simply extracts profits from the arts.
This leaves
small scale enterprises, artists and NGOs – themselves hard
pressed and often working in conditions of poverty - to take up
the challenge and responsibility of building national cultural infrastructure.
In Zimbabwe, this is accompanied by an insidious threat to freedom
of expression.
In many instances, development funding - seeking “results” - will not invest in infrastructure (or sometimes even the institutional costs) that actually sustains cultural production and development, preferring to look solely at one-off and ad hoc programming, staging and project output.
In many instances, development funding - seeking “results” - will not invest in infrastructure (or sometimes even the institutional costs) that actually sustains cultural production and development, preferring to look solely at one-off and ad hoc programming, staging and project output.
Where then is
substantive creative sector infra-structure development that can
be sustained going to arise? The importance of Book Cafe model was
that it could not only sustain itself economically, and create 350
jobs, but (as a strategic decision of its trustees) multiply the
effects of development funding about threefold. At Book Cafe the
hybrid model functioned such that institutional costs were carried
by venue operations so that grant funding could be applied fully
to artist development.
Globally, since
1986, there has been a transformation in the perception of the role
of culture in the economic and social realm. The link between culture
and economic development is receiving recognition. Culture is seen
increasingly as both a means to create and sustain economic progress,
as well as contribute to social life and value systems. It can also
generate added revenues through cross-cutting sectors like tourism,
festivals, multi-media and crafts and contribute to sustainable
development. The impact of culture on the economic development might
be summarized as:
- Community cultural assets are ideally suited to support sustainable local development, creating jobs and opportunities with little capital investment, as well as revitalization of depressed areas
- Culture offers enhanced opportunities for women and youth (both marginalised) to participate in productive activities contributing to gender equality, self esteem and social awareness
- Culturally sensitive policies preserve fragile traditional practices in a globalised entertainment frenzy and address the needs of socially disadvantaged groups and indigenous peoples
- Cultural industries are typically made up of small or family businesses that are well-suited for locally based development and maximum job creation
It is painful
to see a successful arts model in Africa being forced to close by
big business interests. It is our expectation that stakeholders,
artists, partners and audiences of Book Cafe will find common cause
in difficult circumstances, so that Book Cafe will quickly re-emerge
with the least disruption and costs. We at Arterial Network stand
in solidarity and will lend as much support as is possible in our
mission and resources and continue to fight for the advancement
of the creative sector in Africa.
