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South Sudan: New UNESCO project to support creativity and artistic freedom
In recent years, South Sudan has made strides in enhancing the multistakeholder participation in cultural policymaking and monitoring, following the ratification of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions in 2016. The Swedish-funded initiative contributes to this effort, especially by supporting the preparation of the quadrennial periodic report (QPR) on the implementation of the Convention. Every four years, Parties to the Convention are requested to submit a quadrennial periodic report providing information on policies and measures implemented at the national level as well as the challenges met to protect and promote the diversity of cultural expressions. The report is an integral step of the policy cycle, contributing to the monitoring, evaluation, and priority-setting of cultural policies. The project follows a flexible methodology that involves different modalities including technical assistance by Members of the Expert Facility, capacity building on participatory monitoring for culture, and fostering spaces of dialogue between civil society and government.
The Ministry strongly believes that policies can provide guidance to culture programmes nationwide. The draft culture policy and the copyright bill serve that purpose and will address challenges of the cultural and creative industries in South Sudan.
The launch also served as a participatory workshop for Ministries, civil society actors and cultural practitioners to learn about the UNESCO project and its principles. The participants gained knowledge about the importance of designing, implementing, and monitoring policies that foster dynamic cultural and creative sectors, as well as the transformative role of policies in driving sustainable development and protecting fundamental freedoms.
“Policies and measures should uphold the freedom of cultural and creative professionals to create, produce, disseminate, a and distribute artistic works. Strong cultural governance enhances the viability of careers in the creative industries, thus contributing to South Sudan’s economic development”, said Becu Thomas Alex Morita, National Culture Programme Officer for UNESCO Office in Juba. He further noted that gender equality, press freedom and open spaces for policy dialogue are cornerstones of a flourishing creative sector.
“The UNESCO Convention underlines the importance of preserving, safeguarding and enhancing the many and various forms of cultural and creative expression which are integral to human wellbeing and development”, said Tomas Brundin, Head of Cooperation at the Embassy of Sweden in Juba. “The symbolic meaning as well as the artistic and cultural values that stem from the creativity of individuals, groups and societies form an important basis for learning and dialogue. Ultimately, they promote interaction and social cohesion between human beings,” added Brundin.
The UNESCO-Sida programme “ReIShaping Policies for Creativity and Artistic Freedom”, generously funded by Sweden, has provided technical assistance to more than 30 countries since 2014. At the national level, the programme engages a diverse range of stakeholders in evidence-based and participatory policy monitoring and policy making processes to foster sustainable and resilient cultural and creative industries and promote fundamental freedoms.
