Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, Nathi Mthethwa, has called for a worldwide, Africa-based digital platform to store the work of the creative sector on the continent.
“There is a dire need to have a worldwide, Africa based digital platform that houses all online creative arts, copyright and patents, and sporting platforms for control and sustainability of the collective intellectual property of the African Union (AU) member States’ intangible heritage,” the Minister said on Monday.
He was addressing the launch of Africa Month under the theme, ‘Strengthening Resilience in Nutrition and Food Security on the African Continent for a Better Africa and a Better World’.
The Minister said South Africa understands that strengthening resilience in nutrition and food security on the continent, in order to create a better Africa and a better world, is inextricably dependent on land.
He emphasised the importance to develop modern agriculture for increased proactivity and production by radically transforming African agriculture to enable the continent to feed itself and be a major player as a net food exporter.
“Land remains a highly contentious matter in the backdrop of land dispossession in the entire continent. As a country, we do share the same understanding and commitment that building resilience is about food and nutrition security, which are in themselves, important elements of individual resilience, but they can also enhance the resilience of whole economies by improving the health and productivity of individuals.
“We do, however, sorely acknowledge the drawback of the gains Africa had recorded prior to the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Mthethwa said.
He said the creative and arts sector are among those that experienced the most adverse economic impact of the pandemic.
“The relief fund for the sector was set up to assist all athletes and creatives based on a set of criteria defined for each of the two sectors,” the Minister said.
Government responded by provided a R173.5 million relief fund that benefited 12 170 individuals and 217 organisations within sports, arts and culture, in direct response to the unprecedented crisis that befell the livelihood of South Africans in these sectors due to COVID19.
Source: South African Government News Agency