2017-10-20Staff Report 2 Pinehas Nakaziko Windhoek-The National Art Council of Namibia (NACN) has signed an agreement with ten new partners to establish partnerships with a variety of organisations. They include the Cosdef Arts & Craft Centre (COSDEF), College of the Arts (COTA), MitsMed t/a Craft Strategy, Otjiwarongo Arts Centre (OTAC) and the Youth Orchestra of Namibia (YONA). NACN’s Gretta Gaspar says arts funding is an important cornerstone of Namibian development, and the council will provide funding to artists, art students and arts organisations on merit. She adds that to date the NACN has sponsored 22 arts projects with funds amounting to N$3,172,962.64 for all art forms that takes account of regional representation, including gender distribution, the marginalised and the disabled. “Artists and arts organisations had to prove the need for support by being innovative, working hard and fulfilling the required criteria as prescribed by the NACN. “It has to be remembered that being an artist does not make you entitled to government assistance; the proof is in your work and the success that you make of it, so as to sustain yourself or your organisation in future,” Gaspar says. She adds that in these times of world economic recession, which has affected Namibia as well, the government wants to support viable art projects that have an impact on the lives of artists, their beneficiaries, communities and the economy of the country at large. “It is a fact that arts and culture are often sidelined as insignificant activities. Yet they are the pillars that create understanding, appreciation and embrace all people, as well as offer multiple opportunities for job creation and income generation for many creative people, thus contributing to the sustainable development of the nation.” 2017-10-20Staff Report 2
