Ball Is In Our Court

Although nearly everyone agrees that the growth of the arts and culture is vital to our overall national development, there has been the perennial problem of securing enough funding, especially from government sources, to effectively prop up the area.

We are glad that some donor agencies have recently committed specific funds to help enhance cultural activities in the country.

We can mention the Danish-sponsored Ghanaian Fund for Cultural Development and Exchange which has nearly six billion cedis available and the European Union grant of 24 billion cedis to set up the Cultural Initiatives Support Programme.

The World Bank is also said to have some resources to give out for some particular cultural-oriented projects.

Such funds, when properly used inevitably enhance creativity, create jobs, upgrade infrastructure and institute mechanisms that help in the development of artistes and the arts in general.

Zambia is on record to have prudently utilised donor funds to stimulate substantial development in its cultural infrastructure.

Surveying our own cultural front, it is obvious that there are many disciplines that need cash injection to bloom. It is up to our painters, choreographers, filmmakers, writers, theatre directors and other stakeholders in the arts now to assess the opportunities offered by the donor funds and access them for effective use.

The ball is now in the court of our artists to prove that we can be responsible with the grants and would use them for the stipulated purposes.

We can begin to experience an awakening, no matter how modest, in our arts if artistes unite, dialogue among themselves and put the means at hand now to good use.