Harare — THE cultural conference that was held on Goree Island off Senegal last week identified four primary concerns that need urgent attention if the African cultural sector is to make much headway.

The conference also suggested a number of practical areas that could be used to address these primary areas.

Running under the theme "Vitalising African Cultural Assets", the conference was jointly organised by Hivos, the Danish Centre for Cultural Development, Stromme Foundation, Goree Institute and the International Network for Cultural Diversity.

The four concerns identified are: economic sustainability, arts management capacities, co-operation and exchange as well as lobbying and organisation building as issues that have to be resolved if the African cultural sector is to develop.

The conference agreed that readily available, non-bureaucratic start-up capital in the form of soft loans, grants, venture capital is needed to create and initially distribute and market African cultural products.

It was also agreed that opportunities and skills to develop and penetrate local, national and international markets were needed and that those involved should have the skills and experience to produce products that meet the required standard in order to appeal to the international markets.

Arts management and capacity building took a special place on the agenda with most delegates admitting that the sustainability of the cultural sector is directly linked to the availability of a competent, visionary and experienced leadership that has the requisite skills to lead and manage key components of the sector.

But for this kind of leadership to be born, it was agreed that educational and training programmes at national and regional levels had to be undertaken where cultural entrepreneurship skills would be taught.

The role of co-operation and exchange in developing the African cultural sector was seen to be necessary because it enhanced expertise, knowledge and leadership among those working within the sector.

Furthermore, co-operation and exchange enhances regional and international markets to achieve economic sustainability as well as develop artistic practice.

However, the current situation does not allow co-operation because of prohibitive travel costs, language barriers, lack of knowledge about the existence, expertise of others on the continent and poor information-sharing systems.

Without lobbying, the delegates agreed that nothing much would happen because it is only through lobbying the legislature and policymakers that an enabling environment for artists is created. It is through lobbying that the best interests of the cultural sector are monitored and met. It is also through lobbying that regional, continental and international networks and alliances are forged.

Until now, lobbying for the cultural sector has not been easy because it is difficult to find local funding for advocacy work and there is a lack of leadership with the requisite managerial skills.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's Convention on Cultural Diversity was identified as a tool to address these primary concerns.

Article 14 of the Convention that states that parties shall endeavour to support co-operation for sustainable development and poverty reduction, especially in relation to the specific needs of developing countries in order to foster the emergence of a dynamic cultural sector, was widely cited.

The article also says that production and distribution capacities in developing countries should be created and strengthened while access to global markets and international distribution networks for cultural activities would be facilitated.

Developed countries encouraged the adoption of appropriate measures with a view to facilitating access to their territories for cultural activities, goods and services from developing countries.

They should also provide support for creative work and facilitate the mobility of artists from the developing world and to encourage appropriate collaboration between developed and developing countries in the areas of music and film.

Short, medium and long-term practical projects were designed to make the African cultural sector viable. Under economic sustainability, a one-year capital venture fund worth 500 million euros was agreed upon. The contribution would come from the conference donors and both African and donor delegates formed the board to establish guidelines and to select sustainable, entrepreneurial projects with interest-free loans, grants or investment capital.

To enhance arts management capacity, an African Creative Website that carries statistics, baseline data, economic and social indicators, would be created while organisational or individual champions with a specific mandate to make things happen would be identified and supported.

For cultural co-operation and exchange, both Francophone and Anglophone cultural players would be immersed into each other's language and culture to improve dialogue and communication with African artists spending short periods in Europe specifically to raise funds for projects.