The Sibikwa Arts Centre and the Department of Arts and Culture partnered to host the Shukuma Mzansi International Country Arts Centre Dialogue.
The centre, in Benoni South, served as the venue for the three-day conference from April 4 to 6.
Running for the second consecutive year, the 2018 edition of the SA-EU community art centres dialogue is a continuation of the conversations that were started last year.
Delegates from France, Ireland, Belgium and South Africa attended the event which focused on the policy development that incorporates critical sectoral goals and youth participation.
The opening of the conference saw various delegates touching on the impact that the dialogue has had thus far.
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Andries Nel (deputy minister of cooperative governance), Parks Tau (South African Local Government Association (Salga) chairperson) and Lisa Combrinck (head of communications for the Department of Arts and Culture) served as a panel that addressed the importance of art and culture and how community arts centres are a large part of the country’s economic development.
Nel said art is linked to culture and heritage and that it is an integral part of human development.
“The government should not lose sight of that fact,” he said
He said the aim should be to generate transformative change in urban and rural environments.
Tau said the arts are an expression of oneself, the community and the world at large.
“Sibikwa is a place that will produce future artists who will impact our communities,” he said.
Combrinck highlighted how the government should “sing” from the same page when it came to art centres.
“The sustaining of art centres needs to be a priority for the government,” she said.
Combrinck read out statistics that showed that the cultural and creative industry contributes 2.5 per cent towards the economy.
The trio shared the same sentiments by pointing out that sustainable models to strengthen art centres need to be put in place and more centres needed to be built in areas that people could have easy access to.
They said this would, in turn, create skills development, job creation and institutional growth within the arts and culture industry.
“Municipalities have a fundamental role to play in the development of community art centres and access to the arts by all,” said Phyllis Klotz, artist director of Sibikwa Arts Centre.
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