From cinema to music via multimedia or the book sector, the cultural and creative industries (CCI) are the subject of a certain interest in Gabon because of their potential for the economy, clearly demonstrated elsewhere. During the Council of Ministers on February 23, major decisions were taken to adapt the institutional framework to the realities on the ground. Following the official launch of “Dengui”, the Gabonese digital cultural directory and on the eve of a National Dialogue whose expectations of the artistic community are focused on economic diversification in favor of non-oil sectors, the emerging dynamism carried by the creation of synergies between the political will of leaders, creators, private investors and cultural entrepreneurs prove to be imperative, in the eyes of the players in this sector
At the inaugural meeting of the Global African Business Initiative last September in New York, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said:“Africa contains some of the most dynamic economies in the world. And Africa has more – much more – to offer. Now is the time to recognize the emergence of African creative and cultural industries on the global stage.” This release took place in a context of raising awareness regarding the potential of the cultural and creative industries (CCI) for the economic development of the continent, particularly following the ongoing series of restitution of African art objects to the countries of origin. including Gabon, operations considered by some experts as “one of the major issues of the 21st century between Europe and Africa”.
Until 2015, Africa’s share was estimated at around 1% of the $1.1 billion global ICC market. But to date, several organizations estimate the continent’s weight in this market to be between 3% and 5%. And this is because these activities – very often informal on the continent – have not often been properly promoted for what they represent economically. In Gabon, a study conducted by the OIF as part of the Cultural Profile placed the share of ICCs in the local economy at less than 1% of GDP. In the latest economic dashboard published by the Ministry of Economy and Participation, the share reserved for ICCs is almost invisible due to its specificity, its transversal dimension and the prevalence of the informal sector. It is precisely to give relief to this part of our economy that, during the Council of Ministers on February 23, two draft orders were taken, in particular the draft order protecting copyright and neighboring rights in the Gabonese Republic and the draft order modifying and supplementing certain provisions of law n°016/2023 of August 8, 2023 relating to the status of the artist and cultural actor in the Gabonese Republic. These two major levers of the normative framework governing the country’s cultural policy should open the way to a real structuring of this sector of the future and a professionalization of the sectors which constitute it.
The ICCs are in fact identified as being among the fastest growing industries in the world, which would be of the order of 7% per year. Elsewhere in the world, economies have been benefiting from this dynamic for a long time. In the United States, ICCs are worth more than $1,000 billion in 2021, according to the government, while in China, the profession’s figures show annual growth of around 14% since the start of the 2000s. .
If overall, the African continent still weighs only a feather in the global creative business, certain countries stand out. In addition to South Africa, which has established itself as a historical reference, in the West of the continent, Nigeria now shines internationally with its film industry called “Nollywood” or its music industry. Egypt has also been able to establish an economy around its Arabic-speaking television series and films which are successful in North Africa and the Middle East. Morocco, for its part, takes advantage of its attractiveness for international film shoots. Close to us, Ivory Coast has become the hub of a flourishing sub-regional cultural sector, judging by the growing number of infrastructures, and the establishment of labels and majors in musical and cinematographic production.
As a reminder, the field of ICC encompasses ten sectors: architecture, books, press, audiovisual, radio, advertising, video games, music, performing arts and visual arts (plastic arts, photography, cinema, video arts, digital arts, decorative arts). If the African awakening is taking place little by little in all sectors, that of the visual arts, cinema in particular, displays a firm desire for emergence driven by young people. There were more than 800 of them – from 48 countries on the continent – to apply for the various prizes of the Mobile Film festival Africa, the second edition of which was held on June 8 in Rabat, as part of the Rabat – African Capital of Film program. culture. In Gabon, it is no longer rare to see compatriots triumph at numerous festivals of this kind. This was once more the case during the last editions of Fespaco and Sotigui, where two foals from the “Studios Montparnasse” stable were awarded prizes.
For specialists on the issue in Gabon, the economic added value of ICCs should speak more not only to managers in order to develop winning strategies, but to private investors for the development of a business whose dynamism would be driven by young creatives. local.
This emerging dynamism of ICCs is also driven by technology. Indeed, this industry is expected to grow by 12% between 2020 and 2025, driven by technological innovation, with 186 million amateurs in 2021 compared to 77 million in 2015, according to the latest UNCTAD report on the global creative economy.
Music is not left out, as established at $100 million in 2017, a World Bank study estimates the African digital music streaming market at $500 million by 2025. Even if the number of African art collectors are increasing relatively slowly, the e-commerce of works of art and creative goods in general is gradually taking off in an Africa which has won the technological bet, where there is more and more question of digital creative industries.
Placed at the heart of the African Union’s Agenda 2063, the CCIs are the subject of an action plan aimed at lifting « obstacles [qui] remain at the level of manufacturing, production of African cultural goods and products” and their marketing on international markets. The pan-African institution subsequently dedicated its year 2021 to the promotion of ICCs. In 2022, it was the turn of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) to bring together the business ecosystem around issues related to the development of ICCs, with initiatives such as the Creative Africa Nexus (CANEX) where transactions, during the 2021 edition, amounted to more than 36 million dollars.
At this stage, some countries are trying to seize the opportunity, by implementing national strategies that include improving the business environment for cultural and creative entrepreneurs and investors interested in these sectors.
The turmoil recently observed in the oil sector is a sign of a real desire on the part of Governments to control the exploitation of its natural resources. With a sustainable aim and in the name of much-desired economic diversification, is it not time to make cultural resources an alternative to natural resources? Better still, through the mechanisms of patronage and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), is it not possible to establish synergies to boost this sector which is both fragile and forward-looking? We believe in it.
By Hugues-Gastien MATSAHANGA, Essayist, ICC Specialist
2024-03-09 20:03:05
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