• Zambia is endowed with cultural norms and traditional ceremonies characterized by festivals such as music, dances and theatre.
• Cultural and Creative Industries sector plays a critical role in economic growth.
• This year’s African Freedom Day under the theme is “Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa we Want.”

Policy Monitoring and Research Centre (PMRC) says the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) Sector plays a critical role in economic growth through the contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Commenting on this year’s Africa Freedom Day commemoration whose theme is “Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa we Want,” PMRC Executive Director Bernadette Zulu says Zambia believes in the cultural incorporation of social behavior and societal norms, as well as language, knowledge, beliefs, arts, customs, capacities and habits of various communities.
Mrs. Zulu stated that the cultural and creative industries has the main objective of producing, promotion, distribution or commercialization of goods, services and content activities derived from cultural, artistic or heritage origins.
“With over 72 ethnic groups, Zambia is endowed with cultural norms and traditional ceremonies that are characterized by festivals such as music, dances and theatre. To safeguard Zambia’s arts, culture and heritages, the National Cultural Policy of 2003 was developed aimed at facilitating the participation of all stakeholders in the development and promotion of our culture.”
She added that the 2021 theme is a clear continental declaration for member states to invest more financial resources into the promotion of national and regional unity by investing in African culture and heritages as an engine for promoting and achieving the national economic and social development goals as outlined in Africa’s Agenda 2063.
“The African Union (AU) aspiration number 5 of Agenda 2063 envisages “An Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage and shared values and ethics”. This aspiration is critical to the preservation of African Arts, Culture and Heritage.”
“It is in this respect that the recognition of CCI’s in achieving the Agenda 2063 objectives “regional integration, inclusive and sustainable economic development”, that the African Union has declared the year 2021 as “The AU Year of the Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa We Want,” Mrs. Zulu said.
And Mrs. Zulu stressed the need for African countries to view the Covid-19 pandemic as an opportunity for the increased use of technology to enhance the Cultural and Creative Industries sector through the use of digital platforms in the promotion of African goods and services to the World.
“This year’s commemoration of the Arts, Culture and Heritage comes at a time when the African continent is still grappling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has imposed heavy human, financial and economic costs on Africa. Finding solutions for Africa starts with us and true solutions to our problems lie within Africa, through unity of purpose.”
“Our unity can make us one great Africa that will live to triumph above its problems. The pandemic has presented itself as an opportunity to retool Africa’s socio-economic priorities and direction by focusing on the role that cultural industry plays towards creating and harnessing stronger CCI’s as well as more resilient, healthy and social sectors promoting equality, inclusion, social cohesion and resurgence as inspired by a true unity of purpose – the Ubuntu Philosophy,” she stated.