BUSINESS & ARTS |
MICHELLE CONSTANT
Some December contemplation...
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s we move into the final throes of what has been, for many, a true annus horribilis, most of us are looking to December as a time to pause, to assess the past year, and to prepare for what promises to
be a turbulent 2019, both globally and in South Africa. For the arts and creative sector, the risks are diverse. 2018 was striking with regards to disruption in our sector – we have seen disturbances at SAMRO, NFVF, Market Theatre Foundation, and the National Arts Council. This has caused higher levels of tension in the sector, and deepening mistrust between agencies, staffing, the sector and broader society. It talks to the need for extremely rigorous governance and interrogation as we move forward. Furthermore, the elections in 2019, the recent passing of the Environment Minister (currently Derek Hanekom is both Minister of Tourism and acting Minister of Environmental Affairs), the stepping down of the Minister of Home Affairs, potential budget cuts, government departments potentially being collided, the ongoing Zondo Commission on State Capture, the delivery of the DAC White Paper to Parliament – it seems we are moving towards a perfect storm. All align in a need to amortise costs in the public sector next year. How the creative and cultural industries respond to this, will determine how we are included in the planning. Having said that – ke Dezemba! At last. Time to slow down and allow for some contemplation. For me, contemplation comes through reading. Books open my mind to deeper, broader conversations. There are two books that you should pack into your reading pile, that talk to the challenges of past and present, the role of the personal to explain the public, of staring the future in the face. The Brazilian author Paulo Coelho is probably most well known for the book The Alchemist, which has sold 85 million copies in a diversity of languages. And yet his latest work, Hippie, described as ‘self-fiction’ comes at the most appropriate time.
82 / Creative Feel / December 2018 / January 2019
Hippie By Paulo Coelho Publisher: Penguin Randomhouse ISBN: 9781786331595
