P25m shot in the arm for Arts Council
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Sunday February 12, 2023 06:00
After almost three years since establishment, the Council has only started to fully operate this year following the appointment of the chief executive officer, Shombie Ellis and other office bearers.
Among other functions, the NACB was established to coordinate governance, facilitate cultural exchanges with other countries and stakeholders, advise the government on matters relating to arts and culture, and encourage and facilitate the commercialisation of arts and cultural activities.
The Minister of Youth, Gender, Sports and Culture, Tumiso Rakgare last year said that once fully operational, the NACB is expected to take over the running of the National Arts Festival (formerly the President’s Day Competitions).
“The ministry and the NACB are working on a proposed transition plan, which will see some of the programmes that had been run by the ministry now being given to the council to take charge of. The National Arts Festival is one such programme. We are confident that when their time comes, and with sufficient budget as we envisage, they will do sterling job of transforming our arts sector,” Rakgare said during last year’s National Arts Festival prize giving ceremony.
Meanwhile, the proposed budget also shows an improved budget allocation of P14.8 million for the National Arts Festival plus P4.9 million for the final prizes from P13 million authorised for the year 2023/24.
The estimates also shows that the Arts and Culture Grants have been budgeted P4 million during the 2022/23. Last year November, the ministry issued a communiqué informing the public that due that it had stopped receiving applications for sponsorship due to lack of funds under this vote.
Still under the allocation, the Ministry of Youth, Gender, Sports and Culture will receive a total of P887,985,660 as per the Draft 2023/24 Estimates of Expenditure from the Consolidated and Consolidated Funds.