Developing Creative Economies In Africa

The book reflects on the role of the creative economies in a range of African countries (namely Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda). Chapters explore how creative economies emerge and can be supported in African countries. The contributors focus on two key dimensions: the role of higher education and the role of policy. Firstly, they consider the role of higher education and alternative forms of specialised education to reflect on how the creative aspirations of students (and future creative workers) of these countries are met and developed. Secondly, they explore the role of policy in supporting the agendas of the creative economy, taking also into consideration the potential historical dimension of policy interventions and the impact of a lack of policy frameworks. The book concludes by reflecting on how these two pillars of creative economy development, which are usually taken for granted in studying creative economies in the global north, need to be understood with their own specificity in the context of our selected case studies in Africa. This book will be of interest to students, scholars and professionals researching the creative economies in Africa across the humanities and social sciences. All the royalties from the publication of this book will be donated to the not-for-profit organisation The Craft and Design Institute (CDI) (https://www.thecdi.org.za/) in South Africa, supporting capacity building for young creative practitioners from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Bringing together the experience of academics and practitioners, this book discusses creative economies in Africa, focusing on changing dynamics related to working, co-working and clustering. The contributors in this volume examine how strategies and opportunities such as co-working spaces, clustering and hubs facilitate the emergence of creative industries in a range of African countries including Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Nigeria, Tanzania and South Africa. They also consider the importance of creative intermediaries in providing opportunities and platforms for the development of creative economies in Africa. The chapters present a range of case studies and practices that engage with how creative and cultural producers embrace some of the limits and challenges of their local context to creatively deliver opportunities for economic as well as social and cultural development in their cities and regions. This book will be of interest to students, scholars and professionals researching the creative economies in Africa across the humanities and social sciences. All the royalties from the publication of this book will be donated to the not-for-profit organisation The Craft and Design Institute (CDI) (https://www.thecdi.org.za/) in South Africa, supporting capacity building for young creative practitioners from disadvantaged backgrounds.

The Creative Industries and International Business Development in Africa takes an unorthodox approach to showcasing the trends and challenges of the contemporary creative economy with a view to positioning the sector for a global audience.

Exploring the connection between culture and broader goals of human development, this research focuses on cultural and creative industries in what is commonly referred to as 'developing countries'. Christiaan De Beukelaer offers a thorough exploration of how the concepts of cultural and creative industries are constructed and implemented across African countries and evaluates various policy implications of his findings. Combining an empirical study of the cultural industries of Africa with an understanding towards broader insights regarding global implications of the European debate surrounding creative industries, De Beukelaer's work will greatly benefit our thinking on cultural policy.

The special edition of the Report focuses on creative economy at the local level in developing countries. It is co-published by UNESCO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the UN Office for South South Co-operation. The Report is organized in two volumes: a policy report and a web-documentary that brings to life cases and trends, and opportunities and challenges of creative economy on the ground. The Report confirms the creative economy as one of the most rapidly growing sectors of the world economy and a highly transformative one in terms of income generation, job creation and export earnings. But this is not all there is to it. For unlocking the potential of the creative economy also means promoting the overall creativity of societies, affirming the distinctive identity of the places where it flourishes and clusters, improving the quality of life there, enhancing local image and prestige and strengthening the resources for the imagining of diverse new futures. The evidence provided demonstrates how the cultural and creative industries are at the core of local creative economies in the global South and how they forge "new development pathways that encourage creativity and innovation in the pursuit of inclusive, equitable and sustainable growth and development" that the UN System Task Team on the Post-2015 UN Development Agenda exhorts the international community to take. The results of the Report will inform international debates on the post-2015 UN development agenda and the role of culture in sustainable development. It speaks to decision-makers, demonstrating some of the key factors that make creative economy initiatives successful on the ground.

The book reflects on the role of the creative economies in a range of African countries (namely Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Uganda). Chapters explore how creative economies emerge and can be supported in African countries. The contributors focus on two key dimensions: the role of higher education and the role of policy. Firstly, they consider the role of higher education and alternative forms of specialised education to reflect on how the creative aspirations of students (and future creative workers) of these countries are met and developed. Secondly, they explore the role of policy in supporting the agendas of the creative economy, taking also into consideration the potential historical dimension of policy interventions and the impact of a lack of policy frameworks. The book concludes by reflecting on how these two pillars of creative economy development, which are usually taken for granted in studying creative economies in the global north, need to be understood with their own specificity in the context of our selected case studies in Africa. This book will be of interest to students, scholars and professionals researching the creative economies in Africa across the humanities and social sciences. All the royalties from the publication of this book will be donated to the not-for-profit organisation The Craft and Design Institute (CDI) (https://www.thecdi.org.za/) in South Africa, supporting capacity building for young creative practitioners from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Pushing the frontiers of the new development paradigm, this book guides debates, clarifies new themes and illustrates how the cultural resources of the developing world can become a new way of integrating into the global economy - helping to raise the voices of developing countries, widening the range of creative choices and promoting cultural diversity and economic and human development. Mixing theory, country case-studies and policy analysis this volume argues that developing countries can use their creative assets and energies as a source of economic growth - if they can better position themselves in the global economy, turning on its head the polarized debate about commerce and culture to take a fresh look at some traditional activities whose intrinsic cultural value has for too long hidden their economic worth. It includes essays from economists, lawyers and industry experts on global trade trends; digital-technology; film in West Africa; audio visuals in India; the music industry in Brazil and the Caribbean; the copyright industry in Arab countries, and policy lessons from developed countries - including sources of finance, subsidies and the role of incubators and intermediaries. Fresh and incisive, this policy lead book on one of the world’s fastest growing sectors is an invaluable resource for to economists and policy-makers alike, as well as those with an interest in industrial organization, development policy, evolutionary economics and the creative industries.

Visual artists, craftspeople, musicians, and performers have been supported by the development community for at least twenty years, yet there has been little grounded and critical research into the practices and politics of that support. This new Routledge book remedies that omission and brings together varied perspectives from artists, policy-makers, and researchers working in the Pacific, Africa, Latin America, and Europe to explore the challenges and opportunities of supporting the arts in the development context. The book offers a series of grounded analyses which cover: strategies for the sustainability of arts enterprises; innovative evaluation methods; theoretical engagements with questions of art, agency, and social change; artists’ entanglements with legal and structural frameworks; processes of cultural mapping; and the artist/donor interface. The creative economy is increasingly recognized as a driver of development and this book also investigates the contribution made by the arts to the processes of international development, and considers how those processes can best be supported by development agencies. Contemporary Perspectives on Art and International Development gives scholars of Development Studies, Social and Cultural Geography, Anthropology, Cultural Policy, Cultural Studies, and Global Studies a contextually and thematically diverse range of insights into this emerging research field.