GATE CRASHING CSO WEEK 2022 LAUNCH.

 

 

Today I gate crashed into the launch of the CSO week at Courtyard by Marriot Hotel in Dar es salaam. Why not? With my personality, walk and sharp eyes I have in the past attended state dinners and soldiers have  saluted me (usigune check me out). Rest assured I had a delicious lunch with no problem
(Gosh! I had to pay for the coffee I ordered).
Once a year in Tanzania CSO's organize a 5 to 7 day event for stakeholders to meet talk and talk and talk. Hundreds of them. Great Initiative it is. I attended the 2021 and 2020 events in Dodoma. Sometimes you get a feeling, sort of a country club full of old friends, people who know each other by first name basis. They don't need computers these guys, lots of data and some success stories and a heap of complaints why Athumani wasn't reached or is he  still under developed.
But today  at the Courtyard by Marriot Hotel, issues about health, education, human rights and so on flew hither and thither  across a badly lit room moderated by a maverick moderator. Its good to be here.
CSO's use a lot of art in Tanzania whenever they want to get their messages across in their campaign books, they use plays, adverts, films, music, dance and so on. We love that and asanteni sana.
But what about the policies, laws, regulations, taxes, exports, infrastructure, social security,  human rights? Yes, artists rights are human rights.
According to the Government of Tanzania the Creative Industry sector employs plus 9 million people. It is the fastest growing sector in the country with 19.4 rate in 2022/23! We came first again in 2018/19 budget with 13.7 growth rate. In 2019/20 the sector came third with 11.2.
But it is also the least budgeted sector of all time! Consecutively, less than 0.1% of the National Budget for the past 10 years. It is not even mentioned in Vision 2025.
Mind you a research done by World Intellectual Property Organization and the Government of Tanzania showed a staggering 4.7% contribution to the GDP in 2007-2010. It should be more now.
You see for the past two years I've been campaigning for Tanzanian CSO to see the Creative Industry as a thematic area so that CSO invest in its ecosystem just like they do elsewhere. I've even twice  hosted sessions during CSO week pushing for its recognition back in 2021 to no avail. Apart from one organization, Twaweza, the rest think "huo sio mdundo wa taifa".

 As a newly formed CSO we always thought the Government was the most difficult suiter, but boy weren't we wrong? It feels like CSO's, Development Partners and all those who love data and poverty always enjoy our music ironically speaking.
Last year after my long prayer to the God of Spinoza, CSO week 2021 gave us a pavilion at the furthest, most invisible corner at Jakaya Kikwete Convention Center so late, actually by the time Mgeni Rasmi tena wa heshima  Speaker Job Ndugai was entering the venue, we were the only organization representing the Creative Industry sector.
This year we are not even invited, not at all. You see where I am getting at, there is a lot of talk about vibanzi kwa macho and whispers on them boritis. Poor me I shouldn't be surprised after all art as a subject isn't taught in schools in Tanzania, hence low art literacy.

 Hello? Is there anyone who envy what I do (minus the God of Spinoza of course)?

 Robert Mwampembwa,

Creative Industry Network Tanzania.

18/8/2022.