Namibia to host Arts Summit of Southern Africa

WINDHOEK, 04 JULY – Namibia will host the first ever Arts Summit of Southern Africa (ASSA) in Windhoek in August.
The summit will be organised by the National Arts Council of Namibia (NACN) and held under the theme ‘Human creativity is a vital economic, social and cultural resource’.
NACN Chairperson Patrick Sam in a media release on Tuesday said the summit seeks to strengthen the creative economy across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and increase awareness of the sector as a vital industry.
“The creative sector is largely ignored by policy makers and this impacts investment in the sector, ultimately affecting the productivity and effectiveness of other industries,” Sam stated.
He added that the summit will promote the need for inclusion of the creative industry in national and regional development strategies, whilst ensuring that cross-sectorial opportunities are nurtured and explored.
Sam further said the creative industry is vital to the sustainable development of Namibia and other SADC countries, yet there is a perceived lack of understanding and doubts about the opportunities and benefits of investing in this sector and the growth it can bring to the region.
“The summit will therefore also address this by assembling experts from around the world to deliberate on best practice and strategies and recommend the way forward in shaping the right environment for the creative economy to flourish in southern Africa.”
The three-day event will host approximately 150 delegates from across SADC and beyond, amongst others representing government institutions, national arts councils, cultural agencies and policy makers.
NAMPA