Artistes want independent ministry

A section of artistes is calling for the establishment of a standalone ministry dedicated to arts, culture, and creative industries. During a stakeholder engagement with the Uganda National Cultural Centre (UNCC) at the National Theatre in Kampala, artists argued that this dedicated ministry would allow the government to allocate sufficient time and resources for the sector’s development.

Peter Ojede, the Executive Director of the Uganda National Cultural Centre, acknowledged the need for reform, stating that the UNCC Act requires updating to better serve the needs of contemporary artistes.

“It is time to have an independent ministry of culture because the art and culture industry is big in terms of its role. Artistes are a big source of economic activity and they contribute to GDP so they say this is huge enough to be a ministry by itself,” he said.

Professor Opio Okaka, Chairperson of the UNCC Board of Trustees, echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the significant potential of arts and culture to contribute to national development and suggesting that an independent ministry is necessary to fully harness this potential.

Written by Mike Sebalu