BETWEEN VOTES: WHO DELIVERS?

Why South Africa’s Cultural and Creative Industries Must Rethink Their Vote

South Africa’s democracy is rich with political contestation, ideological diversity, and manifesto promises. 

Yet, beneath the noise of service delivery, infrastructure, and economic reform lies a quieter crisis — the systematic sidelining of the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI). 

For a sector that shapes identity, preserves heritage, and contributes to economic activity, its marginalisation in political thought is not just an oversight; it is a structural failure.

THE MANIFESTO MIRAGE

Every election cycle, political parties release manifestos — glossy documents filled with commitments. However, these mentions are frequently symbolic rather than strategic.

Arts and culture are typically framed as “soft sectors” — appendages to tourism or social cohesion — rather than as economic drivers or tools of transformation. This framing diminishes the sector’s potential and reduces practitioners to ceremonial participants rather than key contributors to national development.

BEYOND WORDS: THE IMPLEMENTATION GAP 

The deeper concern is not merely the absence of detailed policy, but the absence of implementation. Even when commitments are made, they rarely translate into sustained programmes, funding models, or institutional support.

Key questions remain largely unanswered:

• Do political parties maintain active Arts and Culture desks?

• Are there dedicated policy units that engage with practitioners year-round?

• What measurable programmes exist beyond election campaigns?

In many cases, the answer is silence.

While government structures like the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture exist, political parties themselves often lack internal mechanisms to engage meaningfully with the sector. This disconnect creates a cycle where policy is outsourced to government departments, while political accountability remains diffused.

PARTICIPATION WITHOUT POWER 

Cultural practitioners are visible during elections — performing at rallies, mobilising communities, and amplifying messages. Yet, this visibility rarely translates into influence.

The uncomfortable truth is that the sector is often instrumentalised. Artists are invited to energise crowds, but not to shape policy. Cultural leaders are consulted symbolically, but not structurally. The result is a participatory illusion: presence without power.

WHY THEN DO CCI PRACTITIONERS VOTE?

Despite these gaps, practitioners continue to vote in Local Government Elections. The reasons are layered:

1. Hope for Recognition
   There is a persistent belief that inclusion is imminent — that this election cycle might finally prioritise the sector.

2. Dependency on Public Funding
   Many practitioners rely on state-linked funding streams, making political engagement a necessity rather than a choice.

3. Civic Responsibility
   Beyond sectoral interests, practitioners are citizens invested in broader societal outcomes — service delivery, safety, and economic stability.

4. Lack of Alternatives
   There is no unified political voice or movement that explicitly champions the CCI at scale, leaving practitioners to choose from imperfect options.

THE STRUCTURAL GAP

What is missing is not just policy inclusion, but political imagination.

Imagine political parties that:

• Establish permanent Arts and Culture desks with sector experts.

• Develop municipal-level creative economy strategies.

• Allocate budgets for local arts infrastructure — theatres, galleries, community spaces.

• Integrate arts into education, urban planning, and economic policy.

At the local government level, this is particularly critical. Municipalities are closest to communities, yet often lack coherent cultural strategies. Libraries decay, community halls remain underutilised, and local artists operate without support ecosystems.

FROM TOKENISM TO TRANSFORMATION 

As parties prepare to release new manifestos, the question should not be what they promise, but what they have done.

• Which party has sustained arts programmes between elections?

• Who has consistently advocated for increased cultural budgets?

• Where are the measurable outcomes?

The sector must begin to interrogate political parties with the same intensity that parties seek its support.

A CALL FOR CONSCIOUS VOTING

The Cultural and Creative Industries must move from passive participation to active political agency. Voting should not be an act of hope alone, but an act of strategy.

Practitioners must:

• Demand accountability beyond manifesto language.

• Organise collectively to influence policy.

• Engage political parties outside election cycles.

• Advocate for representation within party structures.

CONCLUSION

The question is no longer whether political parties include arts and culture in their manifestos. The real question is whether they recognise the sector as central to South Africa’s future.

Until that recognition is matched by action, the stage will remain set — but the script incomplete.

And perhaps, the most radical act for Cultural and Creative Industries practitioners is not just to vote — but to redefine what their vote demands.

The Creative Passport is an independent platform focused on Arts, Culture and the Creative Industries. Readers are encouraged to follow, comment and engage constructively.

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