The Danger of Free-Assistance

It is disinterest, lack of initiative and poor sense of individual and group commitment. These evils affect artists. Cultural cooperation agencies are experiencing this dilemma. Their shows are almost always free. They act in good faith to encourage arts and culture attendance in hard-hit economies. This opening rather backfires as it makes people think that consuming arts and culture is free. The sole effort to be made is to appear at the gate. Yet, these artists are paid to perform. The audience will hardly know it. The money represents the ticket that spectators are supposed to pay for. 

Free-Assistance Syndrome

Many stars are victim to free-assistance syndrome. On the long run, it makes them feel addicted. The world has to provide them everything. They are gifted to generate enjoyment. This talent turns out to be their passport for access to universal free-assistance. Artists even reject to buy entry tickets for shows. Now, they are not structured as a trade-union or any other form of professional association. Therefore, they make no financial contributions anywhere. If this had been the case, fixed amounts would have been deducted from membership fees to sponsor artists’ free attendance in shows. On a more sad note, artists do not understand why they are asked to pay entry tickets when soccer players, for instance, enter stadia with their hands in their pockets. It is true that people enjoy both activities. On the one hand, soccer is well structured and handles huge funds. Besides, politicians are scared of possible fits of anger by soccer fans. In France, for instance, every encounter of the Algerian main squad, even if the match is played in Africa, demands high mobilisation of forces of law and order in case of victory or defeat. On the other hand, arts and culture are complete informal economy, though exceptions to the rule exist. This is not the venue to disregard the importance of the informal sector. It represents, for instance, more than 60% of money transactions in Central Africa. Informal economy accounts partly for the resounding success of micro-finance companies in Africa.

Informal to an excess

But there is a difference. Arts and culture are informal to an excess. One needs to be in Morocco to obtain figures on film halls and theatre attendance.  The festival must have the substance of HIFA in Zimbabwe in order to make sure it has a turn-over. Any successful action is exceptional. Troubles are still constituting the norm. For instance, only FESPACO can cancel an international film criticism jury without informing jurors or apologising for any inconvenience caused and allowing them to be driven away from airports in Heathrow in England and Munich in Germany with flight bookings at hand as if they were duly paid tickets, without telling them. Africa needs to give up poor performance.

Artists are inactive and state-dependent

No endogen endeavour makes things move forward. The exception to this is Côte-d’Ivoire. The war-torn country witnessed the flowing together of musicians. They were out to sing for peace and urge conflicting parties to work hands in glove. They voice was heard and elections held. In other nations in trouble with corruption, human rights and democracy principles, musicians rather focus on love songs.

In most cases, individual initiatives are nipped in the bud. The crisis in Côte-d’Ivoire has worsened with people seizing the arms again after a decade of dormant economy. Apart from this case, revolution is obtained from permanent outside action. In this regard, the first target is the state. Most international legal instruments assign states the duty to develop and promote arts and culture. In other words, working out and implementing cultural policies and economies is part and parcel of sovereignty. This assigns the powers that be the mission to carry out major actions. As such, the business world and civil society should be left to play the minor part. At surface reading, it would mean that they are mistreated as regards the growth of arts and culture. However, the private sector and civil society, in sound analysis, have a lot to do. There is some sensitisation or even awareness work to start with at the level of African state mechanisms. The content of their agendas is short-sighted in most cases. In this regard, they offer arts and culture ornamental importance.

  

The Traditional Dancer’s Metaphor

The traditional dancer portrays the image of most artists. They work as sold out to politicians because they fight for their tiny daily bead. Yet, artists they are more influential and are listened to by people. On the contrary, traditional dances entertain ruling parties’ supporters before and after politicians deliver their speeches. Every political rally ends up with the distribution of ridiculous envelops that are raised in front of the cameras of governmental television channels. Groups of about 20 people are given less than 10 Euros; that is half a Euro per individual. Now, each of them is a family head. The money received can hardly afford a good rice meal in the evening sometimes after 4-hour exposure to the heat wave under the tropics.

Actually, the traditional dancer is ignorant. He or she does not know the politician is his prisoner. He or she can be structured to form a pressure group. It is then up to civil society to remind the traditional dancer that he or she is prominent in political marketing. Last presidential elections in Gabon and Côte-d’Ivoire allowed people to see Ali Bongo as a dancer and rap singer and Laurent Gbagbo as a President who excels at dancing “coupez-décalez”. Any good political rally, in Christian Sub Saharan Africa especially, is almost a big show. Unfortunately, the traditional dancers involved and cultural out-put are stranded at the periphery of decision-making mechanism. Politicians confiscate the centre: the sphere of power concentration. The struggle and conquest of the decision-making centre can be envisaged. It is advisable that critical thinking and vision precede it. Any African is a small artist. He or she can always manufacture something using his or her own hands: a craftman-woman. But he or she fails at self-management. Basic needs such as food and clothes are met thanks to money from other pockets. It is high time political manipulation ended. This is primarily the duty of artists themselves. The private sector and civil society can follow in nations that fail to distinguish arts and culture.