The conference, which was hosted at the Sibikwa Arts Centre on Liverpool Road, came about as a result of the recognition that community arts centres are integral to fostering a culture of creativity and inclusion.
The aim of the event was to increase institutional capacity, policy implementation and best practice as well as to become a starting point for new perspectives, new challenges and new objectives.
During the panel meeting on March 24, the way forward chosen was to create and enforce a task team consisting of representatives from several provinces to ensure that cohesion stays intact.
“Research shows that communities who have access to the arts are more cohesive,” says Phyllis Klotz, the director and cofounder of the Sibikwa Arts Centre.
The Shukuma Mzansi! project consisted of three segments: a pre-conference study tour by South African delegates to Ireland, Flanders and France, which took place in January; a pre-conference study-tour by EU delegates to South Africa, which took place in February; and the International Conference on Community Arts Centres.
Delegates who attended the conference were informed about the role of government, community development, lessons learned from study tours and many more topics.
They were also asked to participate through posing questions to relevant people at the conference, so that clarification on several issues and ways forward could be established.
The three-day conference also included ‘break-away’ sessions, which enabled delegates to focus on their specific areas of need. These areas were: audience development and culture of ownership, developing working partnerships and capacity building and leadership.
“We believe the Shukuma Mzansi! Conference has the firm potential to yield a network of optimally functioning and policy-driven community arts centres that have the capacity for sustainable delivery of appropriate services and programmes,” Klotz said.
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