Minister Pandor apologises for ‘undermining’ the arts

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor has apologised to the arts community for “any offence caused” by her comments during an interview with the US-based Council on Foreign Relations.

Critical skills

Several local organisations in the creative industries have criticised the minister for suggesting that young people in the African continent should prioritise careers in critical skills such as science and technology over pursuing arts.

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The interview with the Council on Foreign Relations, which focussed on skills that are needed on the continent, was conducted in September last year and only came to light last week.

“We must ensure we have greater skills development on the continent in critical skills areas. I don’t think we want more arts trainers, sorry to the arts people.

“We need highly trained people in science, engineering, technology, finance, and economic sector,” Pandor said in the interview.

Calls for apology

The Cultural and Creative Industries Federation of South Africa (CCIFSA), along with other organisations and artists, demanded an apology from Pandor for what they perceived as her attempt to undermine the arts interview.

In a statement on Tuesday, the minister’s spokesperson. Lunga Ngqengelele. said Pandor noted the statement from CCIFSA calling on her to apologise and she apologises for any offence caused by her remarks.

However, Ngqengelele said the minister’s comments were taken out of context because she was stressing “the need to increase the number of young people in what is often referred to as ‘critical skills'”.

“Minister Pandor apologises for any offence caused by her comments to the members of the Arts community…

“Minister Pandor was misunderstood as demeaning the arts, which was certainly not her intention,” read the statement.

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