Connect for Culture Africa (CfCA) with support from SELAM and the African Union (AU) has secured funding of UGX 181,999,900 to Pearl Wood to implement key initiatives that will see the success of reviewing and updating the National Culture Policy, as well as the establishment of the CfCA Podcast at the Uganda National Cultural Center aka National Theatre.
The contribution comes after Pearl Wood, with support from Connect for Culture Africa presented a baseline report to the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, marking a significant step in strengthening Uganda’s cultural sector.
Ms. Juliana Naumo, the Commissioner of Culture Affairs at the Ministry of Gender emphasized working with partners as one of the strong moves of addressing the challenges facing the sector and that if they take the right steps, the complete project program will have been approved by around June next year.
“Already step one of the proposal will help us to move to the ministry of finance and have it approved,” she explained
According to Aisha Namatovu, president general of Pearl wood, the baseline report and funds are to help them advocate for 1% of the public funding to the culture and creative sector.
“If we don’t do that we are depriving the sector of its potential to employ the youths and all the other things it could be able to achieve from the budget,” she said.
Of the UGX 181,999,900, Pearl Wood contributed UGX 57,600,000 to Parliament to support the Parliamentary Forum in revising the National Culture Policy.
This was handed to Bugweri Woman MP Rachael Magoola who is also the chairperson of the Parliamentary Forum for the Creative Economy.
She explained that the money is to help them start working on the draft of the policy review.
“We have had meetings with the ministry and with stake holders and information sharing sessions with stake holders from different sectors in the creative economy. We hope that in a month or so, the gaps in our policy will be closed by the review that we are doing at the moment,” she explained
Alma Estrada, SELAM’s international project coordinator, emphasised the organisation’s commitment to support Uganda’s culture and creative industry through the CfCA project of advocating for increased public funding and government support for the sector because the culture and creative industry offers substantial potential for economic growth, job creation, and social cohesion.
“While the cultural sector could significantly impact Uganda’s economic and social development, it faces funding challenges,” Estrada said. “We’re here to advocate for the government to step in with public funding to bridge this gap,”
