Hon members, there is a slight change on the speakers' list. I think you do have the new amended list.
Ms V V TAMBO (KwaZulu-Natal): Chairperson of the NCOP, hon Minister of Arts and Culture, Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture, Deputy Chairperson, members of the executive Councils of provinces, other deputies, and hon Members of the NCOP, it gives me immense pleasure to reflect on the national Minister's Budget Vote, and to share with this respected Council the synergies that exist within the plans of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture.
The budget of the national Minister of Arts and Culture is extremely refreshing at a time when every effort is being made to use the arts to bring about greater economic leverage for the arts and culture sectors in the country. The policy statement presented by the national Minister of Arts and Culture is a detailed plan to grow the economy and simultaneously build a socially inclusive society. The comprehensive plan has definitely taken into cognisance the voices of the people, provincial departments and other stakeholders so as to propel the arts and culture sector on a course towards recognition and unprecedented economic growth.
This compels me to really take an in-depth look at the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture in order to see the level of its alignment with the national Minister's budget commitments. I can state that there are hard-hitting interventions which open dialogue, stimulate creativity and contribute to developing a consciousness that gives the artistic footprint of our culturally diverse nation. The networks, social platforms and links amplified in the plan are part of the artillery to build a permanent space for a comprehensive social, cultural and economic development of the land.
This speech is being delivered at a time when the 1976 youth of our nation are being recognised for their decisive action in the student uprisings which pushed us further along the road to our democracy. Unlike the youth of then, the young people of today find themselves in a more challenging environment, where economic emancipation is still not a reality, and poverty accompanied by unemployment is slowly destroying our political gains.
Coming to arts for prosperity, it is within this context that the Department of Arts and Culture has chiselled its plans with a vision of "prosperity and social cohesion through arts and culture". Through this it aims to set the course for measurable, productive and meaningful transformation to swing into action, with human capital assisting in bringing sustainable economic growth and job creation. In order to achieve this, cultural industries are some of the critical sectors identified to improve tourism and achieve the national objectives of economic growth.
In addition to the above we are also developing an appreciation of the arts, as well as aesthetics, so that the stereotypes of the past - which view art as being only for the elite and as being an add-on - can be done away with. The programmes engineered by the department foster behavioural change, nation-building and social cohesion, particularly among the youth, who are the critical architects of change.
Concerning the provincialisation strategy, the department is in the process of developing a new museum provincialisation policy in order to accelerate transformation of the heritage sector landscape in the province. Transforming our museums and art galleries will entail specific research to ensure that there is representivity and an attempt to correct numerous stereotyped distortions and omissions of the past.
In 2011 we anticipate finalising the Provincialisation of Museums Strategy. This will address the aspects of Schedules 4 and 5 of the Constitution, which focus on competencies regarding museums. Extensive work will be done to complete the development of the KZN Museums Act to replace the existing old ordinance. This year, 35 affiliated museums in KZN will be supported with subsidies in the amount of R3,88 million.
The Time Travel project examines the teaching of history through the enactment of a chosen historical period. This is considered an important resource tool for educators and learners. This programme opens up new artistic and creative spaces for re-enactment to take place and will target the youth. It will therefore be done in collaboration with the Department of Education. This concept entails having mobile museums containing exhibitions, artefacts and resources relating to the themes studied in history at schools.
Regarding libraries, the department is ensuring that libraries become extremely interactive and inclusive in society. The Department of Arts and Culture in KZN has introduced the following programmes which are all aimed at addressing the needs of the youth.
On the New Literacy Initiatives for the 21st Century Programme, this programme aims to keep the youth gainfully occupied and to raise interest levels. Sir, 21st century literacy is the ability to use a range of tools and skills - technological, interpersonal and communication - to participate effectively in the workforce. It includes print, visual media, ICT, multimodal, scientific, technical and other types and modes of literacy. Young people are becoming nonreaders and there is a need to create alternative options and ways of spending their leisure time that are constructive, sociable, competitive and fun.
The Gaming and Wii @ your Library Project is the next aspect. A pilot study is to be conducted in 20 libraries, targeting those in previously disadvantaged communities. Computer game platforms such as Nintendo, Play Station and Wii Sport will serve as a drawcard for nonreaders by involving them in group game-playing in a social and competitive format.
I am delighted to announce that the Department of Arts and Culture has pushed the envelope in regard to the provincialisation of libraries, and has become the front runner in the country. The department received additional funding for the 2011-12 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework, MTEF, for the continued provincialisation of public libraries. It is proposed to use the funding to provide a subsidy of 50% of the staffing costs of the libraries, based on provincial salary scales, in all areas including uMgungundlovu and eThekwini Metro, with the latter only receiving funding from 2012-13 onwards. It is planned that from 2013-14 the subsidy paid to all districts will be 100% of the provincial salary scale, which will contribute to addressing the unfunded mandates and simultaneously build capacity.
The purpose of the Community Library Conditional Grant of R45 million in the 2011-12 budget of the KZN Department of Arts and Culture is to enable communities to gain access to knowledge and information that will improve their social, economic and political situation.
While the department is expanding its infrastructure capacity to build new libraries, a significant increase over the 2011-12 MTEF relates to a transfer to the eThekwini Metro for the building of the new state-of-the- art mega library ... [Time expired.]