Boosting Africa’s creative industries should be top priority for leaders, say critics

As representatives from 49 countries and the African Union gather in Washington D.C. for this week’s summit of US-African leaders, one of Africa’s most popular cultural ambassadors, Afrobeats superstar Burna Boy, doesn’t seem to be on top of the list.

Even so, the Grammy-winning artist sold out the nearby 20,000-seat Capital One Arena days earlier. He also filled every seat in iconic arenas like Madison Square Garden and State Farm Arena during the same “Love, Damini” tour.

“There are a lot of people like the Benner boys on the continent,” said Roger Montu, host of VOA’s RM Show, an entertainment and cultural program focused on Africa. “They just haven’t been discovered yet. Because there’s no way, There’s no way this industry can do it.”

Delegates have the opportunity to attract more investors to help build Africa’s vibrant Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) – an industry that includes music, film, fashion and the visual arts and could bring billions of dollars to Africa more funds.

But while their focus is on the more immediate needs of a continent that has endured decades of war, famine and inadequate infrastructure, Muntu sees a much greater potential for CCI to impact growth in Africa as a whole.

“This cultural entertainment industry is going to generate and win more money faster and faster and you’re going to spend all these health and education things that you need,” Muntu said. “That’s if and only if the government pays attention to this At one point, how quickly this business can make money.”

According to UNESCO, CCI employs 500,000 people in Africa and generates $4.2 billion in revenue. According to Selam, a platform supporting the development of CCIs in Africa, most of the financing comes from non-traditional investors, as banks and governments are reluctant to fund these industries.

“It’s a strong industry with huge important potential, but it’s being undermined by leaders,” said Ambassador Rama Yade, senior director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center. 1% goes to African creative industries.”

Yard uses the movie “Black Panther” to illustrate the impact of soft power, a term first used by former National Intelligence Council Chairman Joseph S. Nye Jr. According to Cambridge Dictionary, soft power refers to a country’s use of cultural and economic influence to persuade other countries to do something, rather than military power.

“It (‘Black Panther’) talks about Africa, it features African artists,” Yader said. “America knows soft power. They know how powerful a message can be through songs, movies, TV shows. That’s how America became the number one economic power in the world. Through influence — the minds of billions of people.”

The fictional film’s take on Africa has made it one of the highest-grossing films of all time, taking in more than $1.3 billion.

Montou could also demonstrate the impact of soft power. He has a group of about 25 African-American friends who get together every Saturday to watch Nollywood movies on Netflix. Nollywood is synonymous with the Nigerian film industry.

“I used to talk to them and ask them why they did this? They said, ‘Roger, this puts us back in our culture,'” Muntu said. “‘We see a culture here that they never taught us. We didn’t know it all existed in Africa. We didn’t know people lived like this in Africa.’ “

Ahead of Thursday’s summit of U.S.-African leaders, President Biden pledged to invest $55 billion in Africa over the next three years to help fund health programs, food security, clean energy infrastructure and a digital economy. If spent wisely, the funds could go a long way to helping the world’s fastest-growing continent, according to Forbes.

Vice President Kamala Harris announced that $100 million will be used to fund the Young African Leaders Initiative. Part of the funding will be used to support the private sector, expand digital connectivity and empower young African entrepreneurs.

Some of this funding could be used to support CCI on the continent, but only time will tell. Muntou felt that there was insufficient investment in the creative industries at the summit. But he remains confident in the potential of one of Africa’s most dynamic industries.

“You haven’t seen anything about Africa. There’s so much coming,” Muntu said. “This is just the beginning. There are other countries coming, but you’re not ready yet.”