Players in the creative industry drawn from Nakuru County are set to benefit from a capacity-building programme geared towards unlocking their inherent value and potential in the Creative and Culture Industry (CCIs). The training programme organised Thursday by the National Government through the State Department of Culture in conjunction with Nakuru County Government and other collaborators focuses on areas such as marketing, adoption of new technology, copyright, and intellectual property. Tourism and Culture Chief Officer Rosemary Kimani lauded the move, saying the programme will empower players in the creative industry at every level of their value chains to catapult their contribution to inclusive, sustainable economic growth and development. County Executive for Sports and Youths Josephine Achieng, who was also present, appreciated the programme, which she said will immensely contribute towards the development of Nakuru’s creative economy. State Department of Culture Deputy Director Julius Manzi said the programme is being rolled out in eight regions, with Nakuru clustered under the Rift Valley region. Manzi commended the county administration for being at the forefront of jumpstarting a policy process that would help support the culture and creative industry, saying that as a state department, they are ready to collaborate with the county during this process. Other topics covered include creative strategies and product development, the creative economy, art as a business, and experience sharing, among others. The participants were Nakuru Players Theatre, Nakuru Creative City, and Technical Working Groups, among others. The director of Nakuru Player’s Theatre, Joseph Maina, alias Babushe, said that even though it has taken the country a long time to escalate the importance of investing in and supporting the creative industry, the national government’s support and enthusiasm were highly appreciated. He urged the younger artists to raise the bar of art in the country since it has a lot of potential and scenic scenes that have not been utilised by local and international moviemakers. However, he appealed to all artists to always showcase the country positively. He gave examples of visual artists who have kept on drawing pictures of African women wearing tattered clothes, carrying babies on their backs, and holding others with their hands and heavy luggage on their heads as a false representation. Additionally, he said such negative portrayals were meant to give a misconstrued notion of poverty, misery, and belittling of women, noting that despite the problems in Africa, it’s a continent that beams with joy and laughter. He wondered why they don’t have nurses, teachers, and even executive Kenyan women working in high offices.
Source: Kenya News Agency