Address by COSATU General Secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, MUSA -PAWE National Merger Road Show

 

The Minister of Arts and Culture Dr. Pallo Jordan,

MEC for Arts and Culture in Gauteng, Barbara Creecy,

CEO of SABC Dali Mpofu,

Comrades and friends,

COSATU is honoured to have been invited to speak to this ground breaking event in the history of the workers in the cultural industry.

The Freedom Charter proclaims that:

"The government shall discover, develop and encourage national talent for the enhancement of our cultural life.

"All the cultural treasures of mankind shall be open to all, by exchange of books, ideas and contact with other lands."

In this meeting here today are all those who have made a choice to participate in the activities of life through dedicating themselves with their talents, skills and resources to the execution of this mandate.

Among us here today are those who use the potency of a printed page, the art and might of the written and spoken

word, allowing us to draw on the observations and experiences of others, transcending the limitations imposed by time and space.

Through the tools of the sculptor, the hues and brushes of the painter, the words of the writer, the drumbeat, the piano, the trumpet, theatre, the sweet and melodic voices and in films, they uplift our spirit, entertain and stimulate our minds, excite our critical thought and allow us to use and turn the information they provided into insight - to turn possibilities into reality.

Through their intervention we develop the words, the metaphors, symbols, allusions and other verbal associations with which we not only interpret the world but shape and change it.

It is these ingenious creators of beauty, the humble people of our country, the creative workers of our land in the cultural industry who enhance our country's identity and distinctiveness, who have put themselves to the service of the nation so that they can help in the enhancement of our cultural life".

It is through the planned development and expansion of the cultural industry with the support and contribution from all of us that we can measure whether the cultural treasures of mankind have indeed been opened to all.

We wish to acknowledge and appreciate the work done by the ministry in the Department of Arts and Culture through progressive policies and legislation. This has allowed for the creation of structures to realise the dream reflected in the Freedom Charter and the RDP, which gives a task to "ensure that resources and facilities for both the production and the appreciation of arts and culture are made available and accessible to all".

We appreciate that government has worked to ensure our industry is treated with the seriousness it deserves, both as a critical element in national development and social integration and mobilisation, and as a potential source of employment for thousands of workers.

As we noted in our input to the Accelerated Shared Growth Initiative, cultural activities formed a central part of the massive public works programme in the U.S. in the Great Depression. We need to learn from this experience. This type of programme can give our youth and our communities new hope and vision while providing them with a basic income.

There are still many challenges in our industry. They are not new, but are known almost by all present here today.

The ministry of arts and culture alone cannot resolve them but requires our collective effort. They include the following.

The cultural industry is still largely dominated by a few big businesses, which are increasingly foreign owned. This results in unfair contracts for the artists, resulting in exploitative and unfair labour relations.

In this context, the labour laws do not adequately define the status of cultural workers, so that many do not enjoy sufficient protection under the law.

The media prefers to rely heavily on cheap, poor-quality foreign products, rather than developing our local production. That means they undermine employment in South Africa, as well as projecting an entirely euro-centric image that misleads our people. In any case, film, television and advertising are still heavily dominated by white men, especially in higher-level positions.

The cultural industry is by its very nature information rich and therefore requires that those working in this industry have their interests protected by legislation. We must still ensure our copyright legislation is equal to the task.

Many historically black schools still have no capacity or facilities for cultural studies. This shuts an important door to personal development for thousands of our youth, as well as denying them important skills for employment.

Moreover, most of our communities still do not have cultural centres where our people can have access to materials, facilities, training and venues. The cultural industry remains largely concentrated in a few metro areas, although it draws on people and traditions from across our country.

Most of what has been raised here is not new. Government itself has conducted studies and made recommendations to deal with these issues. But we still need to see implementation, which must largely be driven by the stakeholders themselves.

Cultural industries form a national priority under government's Programme of Action. We still need to see institutions that can implement this, however. Within government, we need an inter-governmental task team that can drive the process. Moreover, we need a sector strategy process that can involve key stakeholders, such as a BEE

Charter or a Sector Summit.

We call on the private sector to work together with cultural workers to develop this into a real industry where workers are defined as workers and enjoy all the rights enjoyed by other workers in other industries.

Above all, cultural workers themselves must know that unless they are organised and speak with one voice, unless they begin to see themselves as workers facing common challenges, unless they realise the urgency to unite, they will remain objects and commodities used only to generate wealth for others.

Today we have come to be the witnesses to the birth of a new giant in the industry, one that can take up the tasks and challenges facing the industry. We celebrate this together with our comrades from government, who have shown their willingness to support transformation. We are particularly heartened by the recent meetings with the Minister on this topic.

For us as COSATU, the unity of PAWE and MUSA represents a step forward toward the unity of the working class. This sets an example for other industries

The leadership of the two organisations has come to the conclusion that the continued division of the unions in the sector can only encourage the continued exploitation of creative workers. Only through unity can workers use the force and authority presented by their numbers to influence employers and to transform the industry.

When we go to Durban on December 1 for COSATU's 20th anniversary, we will go there proud that we have put into practice COSATU's long-standing demand for one industry, one union!

Comrades and friends,

Let me again wish you all success in your discussions today.