CHENHAKA Trust executive director Taurayi Moyo has called for a conducive learning environment for artists in order to spearhead their literacy competencies to suit local and global standards.
The trust, in partnership with the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) in Manicaland province, recently conducted a 15-day arts management and business value addition boot camp for 30 players in the arts industry at Chancellor Primary School Arts Centre in Mutare.
Speaking to NewsDay Life & Style on the sidelines of the boot camp, Moyo said artists needed to improve digital literacy and skills to bridge the digital divide through more virtual events that allow them to reach a wider audience.
“We now live in a society that is fast-changing and increasingly reliant on digital technologies, so it is important for our Manicaland artists to fully participate in this new society and reap its rewards,” Moyo noted.
“It is very crucial for artists to reach another level of digital divide called production and revenue gap. Filling this gap will equip artists in Manicaland province with the necessary knowledge and skills to be producers of digital content and make more money through the platforms.”
Moyo revealed that interaction with artists across genres during the workshop showed that they were armed with arts management and business knowledge.
“The main challenge is that we do not have spaces for artists to research. We must have our own cyberspace where our artists can have access to computers and the internet. The majority of artists in Manicaland do not have smartphones or laptops or even resources to buy data,” he said, adding that some artists might have missed the workshop because they could not access the internet where the call for participants was made via social media platforms.
NACZ Manicaland director Carol Makoni said: “We are happy to have managed to bring artists together for creating a unison professional environment. We are rallying behind the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) and this comes under value-addition and beneficiation. The arts are a vital tool in raising awareness for engagement and re-engagement.”
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