Prioritising arts and culture activities in Saldanha Bay municipality, Western Cape South Africa

Abstract

The notion around the priority of Arts and Culture within the Saldanha Bay Municipal area has been debated for a long time. The reason why it is a contentious issue is because some residents and stakeholders imply that the municipality’s priority is mainly put on sports, job creation and delivering basic and essential services. This is their understanding of the municipality when they summarise what they assume its functions are. This is where the argument stems from. This dissertation thus investigates the priority of the Arts and Culture sector, industry and the development of it within the Saldanha Bay Municipal area. Literature around this topic highlights public finance as a major source in prioritising Arts and Culture. These funds that derive from National Government are strategically allocated to departments and local government activities that are approved by the municipal manager under the advice of the Chief Financial Officer. The objectives of this research paper are to explain the legislative framework for Arts and Culture for all spheres of government (National, Provincial and Local Government level), describe the importance of Arts and Cultural activities within the community, explain common challenges in prioritising Arts and Culture and to describe guidelines for prioritising Arts and Culture within the community. The empirical study of this dissertation followed a qualitative research approach. Questionnaires were distributed to both current youth members residing in the Saldanha Bay Municipal area and a group of youth members that left the area. In-depth interviews were conducted with the municipal manager and 10 teachers across the municipal area that are vested in promoting Arts and Culture in schools and the youth. After analysing all the of the raw data received, the study found that the priority of Arts and Culture falls within the mandate of Provincial and National Government and not that of Local Government (municipality).