Department of Arts and Culture

Creation of the Department of Arts and Culture
On 1 August 2002 the Department of Arts, Culture, Science & Technology (DACST) was divided into separate Departments: a Department of Arts and Culture (www.dac.gov.za) and a Department of Science & Technology (www.dst.gov.za).

This for the first time provided the country with a ministry and a department devoted solely to issues of Art and Culture in South Africa. The first minister was Pallo Jordan(2004-2009), followed by Lulama Xingwana (2009-2010) and Paul Mashatile (2010-).

The vision of the Department of Arts and Culture is to develop and preserve South African culture to ensure social cohesion and nation-building. Mission

• Develop and promote arts and culture in South Africa and mainstream its role in social development.

• Develop and promote the official languages of South Africa and enhance the linguistic diversity of the country.

• Improve economic and other development opportunities for South African arts and culture nationally and globally through mutually beneficial partnerships, thereby ensuring the sustainability of the sector.

• Develop and monitor the implementation of policy, legislation and strategic direction for the identification,conservation and promotion of cultural heritage.

• Guide, sustain and develop the archival, heraldic and information resources of the nation to empower citizens through full and open access to these resources. Constitutional and Legislative Mandate The primary legislative mandate of the Department comes from the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, which states that:

Section 16 (1) “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes-

a) freedom of press and other media; b) freedom to receive or impact information or ideas; c) freedom of artistic creativity ;and d) academic freedom and freedom of scientific research”, and

Section 30 “Everyone has the right to use language and to participate in the cultural life of their choice, but no one exercising these rights may do so in manners inconsistent with any provision of the Bill of Rights”.

Aims
One of the aims of the Department of Arts and Culture is to improve economic and other development opportunities for South African arts and culture nationally and globally through mutually beneficial partnerships, thereby ensuring the sustainability of the sector. Through investing in this programme, the department of Arts and Culture is creating opportunities for writers to sharpen their skills and for South African cultural products to become a source of income and prestige for local writers and the country at large.

White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage
White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage, All our legacies, our common future. Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology Pretoria, 4 June 1996

Acts governing arts and culture
Parliament over the years has promulgated acts and created institutions in furtherance of the constitutional mandate of the Department of Arts and Culture:

• National Archives and Record Service of South Africa Act, 1996 (Act 43 of 1996)

• Cultural Institutions Act, 1998 (Act 119 of 1998)

• Culture Promotion Act, 1983 (Act 35 of 1983)

• South African Geographical Names Council Act, 1998 (Act 118 of 1998)

• Heraldry Act, 1962 (Act 18 of 1962)

• Legal Deposit Act, 1997 (Act 54 of 1997)

• National Arts Council Act, 1997 (Act 56 of 1997)

• National Film and Video Foundation Act, 1997 (Act 73 of 1997)

• National Heritage Council Act, 1999 (Act 11 of 1999)

• National Heritage Resources Act, 1999 (Act 25 of 1999)

• Pan South African Language Board Act, 1995 (Act 59 of 1995)

• National Library of South Africa Act, 1998 (Act 92 of 1998)

• South African Library for the Blind Act, 1998 (Act 91 of 1998)

The DAC and the National Arts Council of South Africa
The DAC has taken over the role as governing department for the NAC from the Department of Arts, Culture and Heritage.

For more information
Go to the website of the department at http://www.dac.gov.za/

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minister_of_Arts_and_Culture

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