Department of Arts and Culture

Presentation on International Cultural Agreements to the

Portfolio Committee on Arts and Culture

25 May 2011

Constitutional Mandate and legislation

• Concluding international agreements is the prerogative of the national executive; the President and Ministers by virtue of their Cabinet portfolios (Constitution, Chapter 14 and Chapter 5)

• Prescripts on approval by Parliament is contained in - Chapter 14, Section 231 (2), (3) and (4).

DAC international relations within Government Programme of Action and Outcomes

• DAC International relations (IR) programmes and cultural agreements is located within the framework of the Government Programme of Action

• Cultural agreements contribute to achieving Outcomes 1 (education), 4 (job creation), 7 (rural development and Outcome 12 (…an empowered, fair and inclusive citizenship.

• DAC IR also act within the broad framework of Outcome 11 (Create a better South Africa and contribute to a better and safer Africa and World )

Existing Guidelines on International Relations and Agreements

• DAC is developing its own International Relations Strategy to streamline and maximize the substantive benefits derived from its cultural agreements. The strategy is informed by the following strategic government documents:

• Measures and Guidelines for the enhanced Co-ordination of South Africa’s International Engagements (As approved by Cabinet on 19 November 2008, revised to reflect the changes brought about by the new term of Government 2009 – 2014.)

• White Paper on South Africa’s Foreign Policy – approved for submission to Cabinet by the ICTS Cluster on 10 May 2011

• Revised White Paper on South Africa’s participation in International Peace Missions – approved for submission to Cabinet by the ICTS Cluster meeting on 10 May 2011

• Towards a SA International Relations Strategy – approved by the ICTS Cluster for submission to Cabinet on 10 May 2011

• Concept document on South Africa’s National Interests – coordinated by (DG) SSA Foreign Branch

DAC overall Strategic Objective on International Relations

• Facilitate economic and other development opportunities for South African arts, culture and heritage, nationally and globally, through mutually beneficial partnerships, thereby supporting the sustainable growth of the sector.

• Externalisation of South Africa’s domestic mandate – national interest

• Internalization of international cultural policy

5

CDIR: Medium Term Strategic Overview

Building international cultural partnerships• DAC strengthens and builds cultural ties and partnerships

on the Continent and globally, and formalises these ties in bilateral cultural agreements and mutually beneficial cultural programmes.

Promoting South African arts and culture abroad• DAC promotes and celebrates South Africa’s cultural

diversity on the international stage, by facilitating access to international platforms including global markets, festivals, and exhibitions, for local cultural industries.

Promote the African Cultural Agenda• DAC contributes to the integration of the African cultural

agenda by adding its support to the fostering of common African cultural policies. (AU Ministers of Culture)

CDIR: Medium Term Strategic Overview, cont.

Contribute to the Global Legal Framework to protect Culture

• DAC contributes to the strengthening of the global legal treaty framework for the promotion and protection of arts, culture and heritage. (Multilateral Treaties)

Official development Assistance • DAC continues to facilitate access to alternative sources of

funding for the arts, including access to Official Development Assistance (ODA).

Aligning domestic and foreign policy• DAC continues to integrate and align its international

initiatives with its domestic priorities.

Concluding International Agreements on Arts and Culture

• Rationale – Overview of why certain agreements are signed and with which countries:

- Strategic partners – Brazil, India, China, France, Nigeria, Angola, Algeria

- Historical ties – Cuba, Jamaica, Ethiopia, Vietnam- Developmental – China, Burundi, Rwanda, DRC,

Western Sahara Republic- Anchor States – Ghana, Senegal, Tanzania

• Above categories are not exclusive but often overlap each other

Strategic Benefits

Skills Development and Capacity Building

• Germany - Berlin Missionary Work: Training of 10 archivists from different Provinces in German language at the Goethe Institute, and then in archival conservation.

• UK - Curatorship Programme and benchmarking for National Skills Academy

• Mexico - Rock Art Project – Heritage Conservation Skills

• Arts and Culture training opportunities in India, China, South Korea and Taiwan

Strategic Benefits, cont.

Enhancing South Africa’s profile in Africa and internationally

• Participation in film festivals: FISAHARA in Democratic Republic Western Sahara, FESPACO in Burkina Faso, FESMAN in Senegal, FESPAM in the Republic of Congo, Cannes in France, Toronto Film Festival, Canada.

• Shanghai (China) World Expo – May to October 2010 – 70 million visitors

• 3rd World Festival of Black Arts in Senegal in December 2010 and the 2nd Pan African Cultural Festival in Algeria in December 2009

• Ndebele Murals at the Nelson Mandela Forum in Florence, Italy

Strategic Benefits, cont.

Strengthening the Institutional Capacity for Arts and Culture on the Continent and Nationally

• NEPAD -Mali – Timbuktu Manuscripts• AU - African World Heritage Fund • Mexico - Rock Art Project• AU, Tanzania, Algeria - Continental Liberation Route • Building international links for SA institutions (National

Arts Council, National Heritage Council, National Library)

Strategic Benefits, cont.

Cultural exchanges, fostering mutual respect and understanding, protecting cultural diversity

• Gcwala NgaMasiko Traditional Dance Festival• Africa Day Celebrations 2011 in partnership with

Windybrow Theatre.• China- Treasures of China and South Africa• Cuba – exchanges of dance and ballet students and teachers• Hosting six African Qualifying Countries (AQC) for cultural

programmes during FIFA 2010 • Hosting the carnival troupe from Nigeria to participate in

the “Pale Ya Rona Carnival” hosted by Gauteng Province

Economic and development benefits

• Marketing South Africa abroad through culture, brings concrete benefits in terms of creating export products such as music and films, generating income and creating jobs.

• International recognition, such as for Totsi (Oscar winner), grows and develops the SA film industry

Continental and Global benefits

• The promotion and marketing abroad of SA’s natural and cultural heritage, places South Africa in the forefront of the community of nations – in terms of cultural wealth.

• South Africa’s 8 world heritage sites contributes to a better understanding of the origins of mankind

• Cultural Tourism places South Africa in the forefront of international places of outstanding universal value.

• People to People contact (like FIFA 2010) strengthens Nation building and Social Cohesion

South Africa leading for Africa in Culture

• South Africa often leads in international fora, on behalf of Africa, where capacity constraints prevents especially other smaller African nations from doing so.

• The library built by SA in Mali to house the Timbuktu manuscripts, contributes to the African Renaissance and the global recognition of the historical importance of the Continent

Implementation of Arts and Culture Agreements

• Dedicated unit – Chief Directorate IR - Coordinating DAC international programme

• IR unit in collaboration with other units in DAC - Film Treaties, heritage training

• Partnerships with DAC Associated Institutions - 3rd World Festival of Black Arts

• Partnering with Civil Society – workshops on implementation of the 2005 Cultural Diversity Convention and the AU Charter on African Cultural Renaissance.

• Partnering with other Departments – Cultural Tourism

Linking Agreements to Key Programmes and Projects

• Angola – DAC to partner with Angola to host the SADC Minister’s of Culture Colloquium by November 2011 to revive the SADC Cultural Protocols

• AU Charter- Popularising the contents and ratification of the AU Charter on African Cultural Renaissance amongst stakeholders

• Algeria – developing the Continental Liberation Routes • DRC, Sudan, Burundi and Angola – develop Post Conflict

Reconstruction and Development programmes • Mexico - Rock Art Project for SA, Botswana and

Mozambique – to expand to other SADC countries

Linking Agreements to Key Programmes and Projects, cont.

• India – Mutual 3 month festivals in 2011/2012

• Italy - 54th International Arts Exhibition in Italy – Venice Biennale - 4 June to 27 November 2011

• France – Mutual Cultural Seasons 2012/2013

• New Zealand - Establishment of Ekhaya Village at the Rugby World Cup – September/October 2011

• Brazil – Hosting IBSA in October 2011 and workshop to discuss the economies of carnivals, and culture as a driver of development

Legal Implications

• Multilateral agreements or treaties place legally binding obligations on States Parties

• States are required to report periodically on implementation of Agreements / Treaties

• Bilateral treaties – political and moral obligations, impacting on international relationships

Challenges

• Translating the outcomes of international cultural agreements into concrete benefits for all South Africans.

• Determining the value addition of cultural agreements to the strategic objectives of DAC

• Integrating international agreements into the domestic mandate of DAC

• Positioning culture agreements as an integral part of the framework of South Africa’s foreign policy

Vision 2011 – 2014

• Develop a DAC International Relations strategy to align the department’s international programme with its domestic mandate

• Review all International Agreements – undertake an audit to take stock and align agreements with DAC strategic objectives and the foreign policy objectives of the country at large.

• Impact of New Growth Path – look to position the cultural industries as a driver in terms of cultural agreements with the focus on job creation as the outcome.

• Cultural Diplomacy – host a national conference to share ideas and exchange knowledge on cultural diplomacy and to benchmark best practices with a view to formulate a national policy that will guide South Africa’s international cultural engagement .

List of Arts and Culture Agreements

• Annexures:

– List of all South African arts and cultural agreements as per the Treaty Section of the Office of the Chief State Law Advisor (Cabinet appointed State Depository for all International Agreements)

– Current status of DAC Bilateral Cultural Agreements

– Current status of DAC Africa Cultural Agreements

– Current status of DAC Multilateral Agreements

ThankThankYouYou