By Tonderai Chiyindiko

South Africa is one of a few countries on the African continent with functional public and private entities working within the cultural and creative industries (CCI’s) through offering sector support which primarily focuses on funding as well other opportunities. 

However, much of this funding often does not consider the fluid and ever-evolving nature of CCI’s thus projects are funded based on what primary subsector of the CCI’s they fall in. These subsectors are categorised into domains such as theatre, music, dance, film and others without meaningful consideration of how projects often involve more than one domain of the CCI’s ecosystem.

This parochial approach has not considered the wider and much broader definition of CCI’s which includes non-traditional subsectors such as gaming, animation, fashion, video content creation such as skits, Virtual Reality (VR) and Extended Reality (XR) and others.

_{A Dance Group Performs at a DSAC funded event – Photo : DSAC Facebook Page}

Thus, whereas entities such as National Arts Council (NAC), National Heritage Council (NHC), National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF) and private ones such as Arts and Culture Trust (ACT) exist, they often have a narrow-minded understanding of the multi and cross disciplinary nature of the CCI’s as demonstrated by how their funding calls are structured.

What this means for artists and creatives is that projects are often rejected because they do not align to the traditional definitions of the CCI’s and the set funding guidelines which these funding bodies utilise. If, and when such projects which straddle different domains are funded, they often receive less funding than what other projects get as some of those sitting on adjudication panels have little or no knowledge of these hybrid manifestations of CCI’s, how they function or what kind of additional support both financial and otherwise they may require. 

What then ensues when funding outcomes are published is bitter debates around why certain projects got funding, why others did not, and the fingers often get pointed to the adjudication panels who often turn out to be people with little or no knowledge of the CCI’s in their broadest sense.

As a former adjudicator and panel member of the Business and Arts South Africa (BASA) Presidential Employment Stimulus Programme (PESP), I had first-hand experience of this scenario. However, it is only one part of the problem. A huge challenge was artists and creatives even well-known ones whose work has even toured internationally were often unable to package their project proposals in a way that adequately captures the essence of the project as well as some of the metrics which were stated on the application forms as key requirements.

_{A Craft Stand at a DSAC funded event – Photo : DSAC Facebook Page}

The skill of conceptualising projects then translating them into viable proposals requires expertise which such as technical, financial and narrative and often artists and creatives do not have these skills of working with rigid funding templates which limit how much information they can share and which at times might not be interpreted correctly by an adjudication panel.

Though other government entities such as the Department of Small Business Development (DBSD) and Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) are now making funding available to artists and creatives, issues remain in terms of how they structure their calls, funding templates and additional requirements which are out of touch with the realities of how the CCI’s operate and what kind of support beyond funding they require. Expectations such as viable business proposals which among other things show predetermined amounts of revenue generation and future revenue projections seem tailormade for businesses which operate outside the CCI’s landscape.

A recent development around funding which has been cautiously welcomed by stakeholders within the CCI’s has been the introduction by the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC) of sector clusters to among other things decentralise funding allocation and ensure more direct support for domains and sub-domains within the CCI’s. These clusters or boards seem to have had early success by integrating subsectors which are closely aligned as often proposals submitted include two or more domains which has now been reflected in these clusters.

_{Members of the recently established Visual Arts Cluster – Source : DSAC Facebook Page}

The clusters or boards are as follows;

1. Animation and Gaming
2. Arts Education 
3. Books and Publishing – Content Developers and Creators
4. Books and Publishing – Manufacturing and Distribution
5. Communication Design and Interior Design
6. Craft
7. Dance
8. Exhibitions, Events, Festivals, Technical Productions
9. Film, Cinema and Television
10. Music – Mass Participation and Community-Based (Choirs, Brass Bands, Traditional Music)
11. Music – Modern sounds (Pop, Amapiano, Rock, Kwaito, Hip Hop, Bacardi) including Recording and Business Management
12. Music – Goema, Kaapse Klopse and Folk
13. New Media
14. Spoken Word, Poetry, Storytelling, Stand-up Comedy
15. Theatre, Musical Theatre, Opera
16. Product, Jewellery, Fashion and Textile Design
17. Visual Arts

While this is certainly a welcome development for South African CCI’s the jury is out on whether these clusters can make significant impact within a sector which for long has been characterised by disorganisation, fragmentation and other challenges which have seen it be unable to operate at optimum levels. The fact that these clusters are made up of primarily of arts practitioners and some administrators has seen a renewed vibrancy and the rolling out of exciting programmes which artists and creatives have for long been calling for. The clusters have been enabled by government support but for them to be even more effective the private sector will also need to come on board so that their survival can be guaranteed and the interventions being introduced have lasting impact on the CCI’s landscape.

Editor’s Note

_{Cultural Policy Writer and Advocate, Tonderai Chiyindiko – Photo by : Zanoxolo Bonginkosi Muchanga}

Tonderai Chiyindiko is an experienced arts manager, researcher, and writer from Zimbabwe, with over 15 years of experience contributing to local and international platforms. His work focuses on cultural entrepreneurship, leadership, and policy advocacy across Africa’s creative and cultural industries.

In this feature, Tonderai examines how South Africa’s cultural funding structures—once considered among the continent’s strongest—are now struggling to keep pace with a rapidly evolving creative landscape. By calling for a radical rethink of funding models to include emerging and cross-disciplinary sectors, he reminds us that inclusivity and adaptability are the lifeblood of a thriving creative economy. The challenge he poses is clear: will Africa’s policymakers modernize fast enough to support the artists shaping its future?