BOOK CAFE, MANNENBERG CLOSURE IS A BLOW TO THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES IN ZIMBABWE

PRESS RELEASE: Immediate Release
BOOK CAFE, MANNENBERG CLOSURE IS A BLOW TO THE CREATIVE INDUSTRIES IN ZIMBABWE

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 worldfamous
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.

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.

END
Josh Nyapimbi
Country Representative

Newsletter December 2011

Creative Civil Society’s National Plan of Action on Arts and Culture

Members of the creative civil society of Zimbabwe are making serious efforts to be actively involved in the implementation of Zimbabwe’s cultural policy adopted in 2007. In that regard, Nhimbe Trust, with technical support from Arterial Network, and funding from MIMETA and the British Council initiated a project called The Creative Civil Society’s National Plan of Action for Arts & Culture (NPAAC) for Zimbabwe. The NPAAC is based on the belief that for the creative sector to work effectively there needs to be results based Roadmap to provide direction and regulation. It seeks to complement Government efforts to implement the Cultural Policy; and UNESCO Conventions that Zimbabwe ratified.

New projects and partners

Abarra

Mimeta/ Norwegian MFA support a program aimed at independent cultural sector during the transitional period in Arab countries. Start up support, incubation, training, legal aid, financial management and fundraising assistance, incubation, and networking and exchange opportunities. In addition, a research, advocacy and publications component is essential in order to position cultural sector actors to advocate for the role of culture in building new social and political structures. http://mawred.org/en/services/abbara-program

ARTwatch

Arterial Network has established a project that monitors the practice and constraints on freedom of creative expression in all African countries, including the various forms of censorship that prevail in each country. While other barometers exist to measure freedom of the media, there is no measure of freedom of creative expression. Their effort is supported by Mimeta/ Norwegian MFA funds. http://www.arterialnetwork.org/

East African Tour Circuit

A growing cluster of arts and music festivals in the East African region has prompted a call for an artist’s touring circuit. Festival directors from Sawa Sawa and Sauti za Busara, as well as organizers from 15 arts organizations in the region, sat down in a hotel in Kampala looking for a way to practically cooperate. They did - and the East African Performing Art Circuit will be their body. A process supported by Mimeta.
http://www.bayimba.org/2840/2011-festival-newsletter-edition-3/

CAB

Mimeta has signed an agreement with Colombo Art Biennale (CAB), Sri Lanka. CAB is an organisation whose main focus is to bring attention to Sri Lankan art within the regional and international art community and to allow Sri Lanka, a country ravaged by 26 year armed conflict to rebuild itself. Sri Lanka is a place where art can be used as a powerful platform for forging meaningful cultural / art collaborations within the country as well as internationally.  A major focus of CAB is to bring attention to Sri Lankan contemporary artists and their work that thematically has an intense engagement with the Sri Lanka socio-political and cultural landscape.  By doing that CAB hopes to connect their art to a larger discourse of international audience where their art expressions get equal value within the global art community.

Ishyo Arts Centre

ISHYO Arts Centre in Rwanda promotes art and culture within the scope of national competence. One of its main priorities is to develop and support innovative programs, trainings, artists and projects on a national, regional and international level. To achieve this, ISHYO invests in projects which develop new methods of fostering cultural heritage and tap into the cultural and artistic potential of knowledge required for addressing social issues. ISHYO also focuses on cultural exchange, networking and cross-border cooperation by initiating projects of its own and by supporting project proposals in all areas of the arts with no stipulations as to theme or subject.

Events

Mimeta Monologue

Paul Brickhill from Pamberi Trust/African Synergy Trust, Zimbabwe, visited Norway and Sweden 17 – 20 October to do public presentations on the balance between the arts, human rights and entrepreneurship.  Brickhill also met with Swedish and Norwegian authorities.

New Board

Mimeta is pleased to present our new board. David Hansen, Annbjørg Lien, Trond M Backer, Anne Tone Hageland, Alfred Solgård. Deputies are Kjell Abildsnes and Kristine Sødal.

Mimeta would like to thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

our owners, Stromme Foundation and Vest Agder County, and all our partners for close and valuable cooperation.

World Poetry Movement and the 100,000 Poets for Change Project

This is a call for poets to participate in a global event on 24 September, and to initiate events in their own cities. In particular, we would like to see greater participation by African poets and more African locations in the 100,000 Poets for Change project. We would also like to see more African poetry festivals, poetry organisations, groups and poets become part of the World Poetry Movement.

World Poetry Movement

The World Poetry Movement was founded in the context of the World Gathering of Directors from 37 International Poetry Festivals, held in Medellin, Colombia, between April and July 8th, 2011.

There they discussed the connection between poetry and peace, the reconstruction of the human spirit, the reconciliation and recovery of nature, the unity and cultural diversity of peoples, material poverty and poetic justice, and possible actions to take in favor of the globalization of poetry.

A month later, the World Poetry Movement has been joined by 77 international poetry festivals and 317 poets from 83 countries from all continents.

One of the goals is to include most of the strongest international poetry festivals, poets, schools of poetry and printed and virtual publications, to increase our mutual cooperation and thus energize the individual and collective voice of poetry in our time.

Recently the World Poetry Movement has been joined by the "100,000 Poets for Change" project, a bold initiative by poets Michael Rothenberg and Terri Carrión, in California, who have proposed the implementation of a worldwide poetic action, next September 24th, 2011 in 350 cities worldwide. See  www.100TPC.org

The World Poetry Movement supports and will always support the thoughts, actions and measures that can contribute to world peace, the defense of all life on earth, the sustainable development of a new world, the restoration of beauty, dignity and truth, in the process of a persistent strengthening of poetry's presence in contemporary society worldwide.

Poetry is knowledge, reflection and enlightenment, liberation, contemplation and action, lightning, creative imagination and brotherhood, spiritual unity of individuals and peoples, past, present and future of humanity.

World Poetry Movement calls on all its members, poets and international poetry festivals, to plan, develop and spread poetic actions and simultaneous poetry readings, across the planet, September 24th, 2011, to consolidate our organizational process, making a formidable display of poetic power possible in the world, in hundreds of cities and villages on Earth.

We ask you to please inform us at worldpoetrymovement@gmail.com about actions you may initiate regarding this proposal :

Those not already part of the World Poetry Movement are invited to join. Please email worldpoetrymovement@gmail.com 

WORLD POETRY MOVEMENT COORDINATING COMMITTEE

Peter Rorvik (South Africa), Bas Kwakman (Netherlands), Jack Hirschman (United States of America), Rati Saxena (India),

Alex Pausides (Cuba), Amir Or (Israel), Iryna Vikyrchak (Ukraine), Fernando Rendón (Colombia).

Zimbabwe Creative Civil Society’s Strategy in the Formulation of a Plan of Action for Arts and Culture

In May 2010, Nhimbe Trust, in partnership with the Bulawayo Arts Forum (BAF) hosted a two-day national seminar in Bulawayo to review the status and implementation of the National Cultural Policy of Zimbabwe.

After the seminar, Nhimbe saw the need for continued collec­tive dialogue on how to address the chal­lenges stakeholders in the arts and culture sector in Zimbabwe face, and began work with cultural scholars in conceptualizing the process of engaging the Creative Civil Society in Zimbabwe and in under­taking a comprehensive SWOT analysis of the sector in order to recommend strategies that could be taken to address chal­lenges identified. Nhimbe secured financial support from MIMETA, the British Council; and technical support from the Observatory of Cultural Policies in Africa (OCPA) and Arterial Network towards undertaking this process.

The process culminated in the production of the “Zimbabwe Creative Civil So­ciety’s Strategy in the Formulation of a Plan of Action for Arts and Culture. “ The Conference also mandated Nhimbe to provide further leadership in the production and implementation of a time-bound and comprehensive 5 year Creative Society Plan of Action for Arts and Culture in Zimbabwe.

For more information see full report: http://mimeta.squarespace.com/downloads/democratization/

Press release of the Censorship of the Arts Seminar 13 July 2011

‘Sit down and shut up’

13 July 2011 17h30-20h00

Apartheid and other repressive government have feared art, artists and the right of all people to enjoy free artistic expression.

The KwaZulu- Natal Society of Arts Gallery, together with local artist Bernice Stott, is hosting a Censorship of the Arts Public Seminar.

‘Sit down and shut up’ is an awareness raising event which will gather together eminent affected artists and art commentators as speakers in a seminar and discussion. It is aiming to reach the South African art community and the government to work together against Censorship.

The seminar will have five guest speakers, two of which are artists whose work has been censored. Zanele Muholi, has worked as a community relations officer for the Forum for the Empowerment of Women, a black lesbian organisation. The other artist is internationally renowned sculptor, Andries Botha.

The KZNSA Gallery’s seminar is partnered by the following organisations: Africalia, The Human Elephant Foundation, Durban University of Technology, Bartel Arts Trust, Art for Humanity, eThekwini Municipality and The Centre for Creative Arts.

 ‘Sit down and shut up’ will take place at the Durban University of Technology, City Campus at the Arthur Smith Hall.

 For more information you can contact the curator, Bernice Stott on 031 209 8436 or 083 343 8994.

AFRICAN FOCUS AT INTERNATIONAL XXI POETRY FESTIVAL MEDELLIN, COLUMBIA

Poetry Africa and the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) are facilitating the participation of a contingent of African poets and musicians for South America’s legendary Poetry Festival in Medellín, Columbia. Please see following press release issued by the International Poetry Festival of Medellín.

Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott

With 1992 Nobel Prize for Literature Derek Walcott attending alongside a significant delegation of African poets and singers, there will open, in 10 days’ time, the XXI International Poetry Festival of Medellín, convened and organized by the Prometeo poetry magazine, with the participation of over 90 poets from 50 countries of all the continents.

It will pay homage to the Spirit of Origin and to African poetry, as it was in the black continent where the human legend arose, and where the winged hearts of its griots breathed poetry into the heart of the species. During its twenty-first issue, the International Poetry Festival of Medellín will celebrate its homage to the spirit of Africa

Within the context of the XXI International Poetry Festival of Medellin there will take place the World Meeting of International Poetry Festival Directors, with the support of the Nuestra América Network of International Poetry Festivals and of the International Federation of Poetry Festivals.

The Festival will take place from July 2nd to 9th, 2011, in a country burdened with a painful history of over five decades of conflict, as recently acknowledged by its president Juan Manuel Santos. Poetry is the ambrosia feeding the spirits of our youth in a time of desolation, and it is the flame that rises to light the way to the future in a new country of reconciliation and understanding, of dignity, beauty and justice.

The XXI International Poetry Festival of Medellin will include 164 free events for the public in general, and is sponsored by the Medellin City Hall, the Medellín Council, the Ministry of Culture, Hivos, the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID), state-owned companies of Medellín, Poetry Africa, Confiar Caja Cooperativa, the Swiss Embassy, the Caipirinha Foundation, EAFIT, TeleMedellín and Coofinep.

The African delegation, with collaboration of Peter Rorvik (Poetry Africa, Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal), shall consist of the popular singers Madosini Latozi Mpahleni, Chiwoniso Maraire and Tania Tomé (Mozambique), and the poets Werewere Liking (Cameroon), Haji Gora Haji (Zanzibar), Shailja Patel (Kenya), Antonio Gonçalves (Angola), Lebogang Mashile, Pitika Ntuli, Iain Ewok Robinson (South Africa) and Rachid Boudjedra (Algeria).

The attendance of musician Pedro Espi-Sanchis (South Africa-Spain) has also been confirmed.

Ten Asian poets will be in Medellín in 2011: Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi (Myanmar), Amir Or (Israel), Jidi Majia (Popular Republic of China), Ban'ya Natsuishi (Japan), Zahreef Ahmed (Kashmir), Rira Abbasi (Iran), Hadaa Sendoo (Mongolia), Zakaria Mohammed (Palestine), Ataol Behramoglu

(Turkey) and Kamran Mir Hazar (Afghanistan).

Poets from twelve European countries will read their poems in this new edition of the Festival, headed by the Dutchman Cees Nooteboom, Julian Heun (Germany), Fernando Valverde, Elena Medel, Anna Aguilar-Amat, Tomàs Arias, J. M. Calleja, Pedro Enríquez, Kirmen Uribe (Spain), Agneta Falk (Sweden), Nikola Madzirov (Macedonia), Lello Voce, Carlo Bordini, Giovanna Mulas (Italy), Christian Ide Hintze (Austria), Sigurbjörg Thrastardóttir (Iceland), Niillas Holmberg (Finland, Sami nation), Endre Ruset (Norway), Raphael Urweider (Switzerland) and Iryna Vikyrchak (Ukraine).

Guests will be also joined by Australian Philip Hammial, American Jack Hirschmann, and Latin Americans Thiago de Mello (Brazil), Marco Antonio Campos, Aarón Rueda, Mariana Hernández, Sixto Cabrera, Roberto Arismendi (Mexico), Gabriel Impaglione (Argentina), Alex Pausides, Aitana Alberti, Waldo Leyva, Magia López (Cuba), Julio Mitjans Cabrera, winner of the La Gaceta - Prometeo Prize (Cuba), Rodolfo Häsler (Cuba-Spain), Marvin García (Guatemala), Louis-Philippe Dalembert (Haiti), José Mármol (Dominican Republic), Kwame Dawes (Ghana-Jamaica), Lucy Cristina Chau (Panama), Carmen Ollé (Peru), Faumelisa Manquepillán (Mapuche nation, Chile), José María Memet (Chile), Rodolfo Dada (Costa Rica) and Otoniel Guevara (El Salvador).

Over a thousand poets from 156 nations have already taken part in the Festival, and poets from Afghanistan, Myanmar and Zanzibar will attend for the first time

The World Meeting of International Poetry Festival Directors will address issues such as Peace and reconstruction of the human spirit, Interconnection and recovery of nature, Unity of the human spirit and cultural diversity of peoples, Material indigence and spiritual riches and Actions for the globalization of poetry, and attendance has been confirmed by representatives of 35 international poetry festivals:

Krytia (India), Teheran (Iran), Tokyo (Japan), Smyrna (Turkey), Qinghai (Popular Republic of China), Tel Aviv (Israel), Durban (South Africa), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Struga (Macedonia), Paris (France), Granada (Spain), Berlin and Bremen (Germany), Rome (Italy), Kiev (Ukraine), Oslo (Norway), Palabra en el Mundo (Argentina/Italy), San Francisco (United States), Trois-Rivières (Canada), Tabasco and Veracruz (Mexico), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Havana (Cuba), Santiago de Chile (Chile), City of Panama (Panama), Medellín, Bogotá, Pereira and Pasto (Colombia), Quetzaltenango (Guatemala), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Valparaíso (Chile), San José (Costa Rica) and San Salvador (El Salvador).

It is expected that this Meeting will give rise to the bases for the creation of a World Network of Poetry Projects and Festivals.

There shall also take place the XV Poetry School of Medellin, which will hold 29 activities between courses, workshops and conferences, with free registration, which last year enabled the enrolment of hundreds of youths. A cycle of seven feature-length African films will also be shown, and a celebration held for the premiere of the documentary Resistance Cultures, directed by the Korean Iara Lee.

See: http://www.festivaldepoesiademedellin.org/pub.php/en/Intro/index.htmfor more details.