SILENCE IS A POLITICAL CHOICE IN THE ARTS

 

ARTS , CULTURE AND THE POLITICS WE PRETEND NOT TO SEE 

By Thami akaMbongo Manzana

Politics affect us as Cultural and Creative Industries practitioners whether we like it or not. We can debate it, resist it, even deny it but we cannot escape it. The sooner we accept this reality, the sooner we begin to engage the system with clarity rather than confusion.

We often hear repeated calls from within the sector: we need a Minister who understands the Arts and Culture sector. This is not a new demand. It has been voiced across generations of practitioners, festivals, workshops, and policy engagements.

Yet it is important to understand the constitutional framework within which executive appointments are made. Under Section 91(3)(c) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, the President is explicitly authorised to appoint no more than two Ministers from outside the National Assembly. This means the President does, in fact, have limited but real discretion to bring in individuals from outside Parliament into the national Cabinet.

That power exists. It has always existed. And yet, despite repeated appeals from the sector, such appointments remain rare in practice.

The reality is that political parties play a decisive role in shaping who gets into Parliament, and by extension, who sits in Portfolio Committees that oversee departments like Arts and Culture. We are often expected to trust that those deployed by political parties are the best possible representatives of our sector’s interests. But experience has shown us that this is not always the case.

Sometimes appointments reflect loyalty more than expertise. Sometimes they reflect internal party dynamics more than sector understanding. And sometimes, the arts become an afterthought in a much larger political bargaining process.

Yet we continue to hope that “our voices will be heard through political parties.”

There has also been a recurring conversation within the creative sector about forming an artists’ political party. Some have tried. Most have struggled to gain traction or survive the harsh realities of political organisation. Others are still attempting to build such movements, driven by the belief that only direct political power can secure genuine transformation in the sector.

At the same time, some creatives attempt to influence policy by aligning themselves with existing political parties. They position themselves close to power, hoping that proximity will translate into influence. In some cases, this works. In many cases, it does not. Alignment without strategy often leads to disappointment.

Then there is another uncomfortable truth: some creatives are influential within the sector but remain unrecognised by their own political parties. Others expect recognition without doing the consistent groundwork of political engagement—branch participation, organisational contribution, and sustained involvement in party structures.

The Arts in South Africa has, undeniably, been politicised. Whether we accept it or not, cultural production, funding, recognition, and opportunity are all shaped directly or indirectly by political structures and decisions.

The question we must now confront is not whether politics should be part of the arts. It already is. The real question is: what do we do about it?

Do we remain politically neutral in a space that is already politically defined? Or do we become politically aligned in ways that may advance our interests but also constrain our independence?

Or perhaps the more honest path is this: to become politically aware without becoming politically captured.

We cannot ignore politics forever. Not when budgets are allocated politically. Not when policy is shaped politically. Not when access to opportunity is filtered through political decision-making.

The Cultural and Creative Industries must now move beyond romantic ideas of separation from power. Engagement does not necessarily mean surrender. Awareness does not automatically mean alignment. But ignorance guarantees exclusion.

We are at a point where silence is also a political position and often, a powerless one.

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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