Biteko meets arts stakeholders today

DAR ES SALAAM: THE Annual Meeting of the Tanzania Culture and Arts Fund (TACAF) is scheduled to take place today and Deputy Prime Minister, Doto Biteko, is expected to be the guest of honour.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Culture, Arts and Sports, Gerson Msigwa, revealed yesterday that the TACAF meeting will be held in Dar es Salaam.

The focus of the meeting is to strengthen the cultural and arts sectors in the country, to discuss the trends in the sectors and to improve them jointly.

The event is expected to be attended by over 8,000 people, including artists and various art stakeholders in the country.

“The meeting is expected to be attended by 8,000 arts stakeholders and will be graced by the Deputy Prime Minister. It is anticipated that attendees will benefit from the event through networking and panel discussions on issues concerning their discipline,” he explained.

A few weeks ago, the Executive Director of the Arts and Culture Fund, Nyakaho Mayemba, expressed her desire to create a network of mutual understanding between artists and government stakeholders.

The event aims to bring the two sides together so they can deeply understand each other, discuss the various challenges in the industry, plan for self- determination, and find a way forward.

During the meeting, there will be discussions to provide education that empowers artists so they can deal with their various challenges.

The most important topic of discussion will be the arts fund, which is under the Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Sports.

Mayemba plans to hold such meetings every year to make a better future for Tanzanian artists. The aim is to identify the progress and various challenges faced by artists within the country.

The Tanzania Culture and Arts Fund (TACAF) has provided funds for 173 projects since its establishment on 23rd December 2022, with most of them being music and films. Currently, the fund has loaned out 3.7 bn/- and has a recovery rate of 92 per cent.