By Ogova Ondego
Published April 24, 2021
How much does the arts or creativity sector contribute to the gross domestic product (GDP) of your country? Is creativity–art, design, tech, craft, fashion, architecture, music, gaming, food, i.e every creative discipline – an industry to reckon with or is it a myth masquerading as an economy to make practitioners feel good or important?
If your country were to develop a region in your commercial, political and cultural capital to act as a hub from which all types of art practitioners could operate, would you be interested in joining it?
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The closest Nairobi, the fulcrum around which Kenya revolves, comes to arts hubs is in the form of Kuona Art Trust, Paa Ya Paa Art Centre, Banana Hill Art Gallery, Ngecha Artists Group, The GoDown Arts Centre and Karen Heritage Village; not so?
Arts writer Margaretta wa Gicheru (well, Margaretta H Swigert), in her doctoral study titled Globalizing Kenyan Culture: Jua Kali & the Transformation of Contemporary Kenyan Art: 1960-2010, argues that “no
one quite knows, not even the Ministry of Culture, how many artists are working in Kenya, leave alone in Nairobi today.”
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Though the study–submitted to Loyola University, Chicago, Illinois, USA in 2011–mainly focuses on visual arts in Nairobi and touches on other art forms in passing, it nevertheless gives one an idea of the state of the arts sector in Kenya.
Defining ‘Jua Kali’ as self-employed in the informal or non-formal sector, wa Gacheru’s study both draws the difference between ‘Artisans’ and ‘Artists’ besides contending that artists “are more scattered around the city and less inclined to be counted or classified.”
All right, could such a sector be referred to as an economy, creative or not? How much–in a day, a week, a month or a year–does Kenya’s ‘creative economy’ contribute to the exchequer?
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“Donor money has played a central role in transforming and even globalizing Nairobi‘s art world over the last decade not only at the National Museums of Kenya, but in the start-ups of new institutions,” wa Gacheru says in her study. “The [Rahimtulla] Museum of Modern Art and The GoDown Art Center might never have gotten off the ground without substantial funding from the Ford Foundation and other development aid agencies. The same is true for another art center, Kuona Trust, which had started up with donor funds in the mid-90s ostensibly to help develop contemporary Kenyan art and artists. But as the artists themselves will explain, donor funding can be problematic, particularly when the funds dry up as many of them have since the 2008 Global Recession.”
So, how much does creativity, an non-formal sector whose size isn’t quantified, contribute to Kenya’s GDP?
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Back in London, the British capital, reports Zetteler, a communications, film and public relations consultancy, the first arts practitioners are about to move in the city’s new district that brings all art forms together.
Among the first settlers in the Design District on Greenwich Peninsula is Ravensbourne University which is set to ‘open its Institute for Creativity and Technology in the heart of the district, and Bureau, the new members’ club for the creative industries, which is now open for membership applications. Other arrivals – from plucky start-ups to household names – will be announced soon,” Zetteler reports.
Oh, how much does Britain’s creative economy contribute to the country’s GDP?
“The creative industries contribute around £100 billion to the UK each year, employ more than two million people, and are growing at twice the rate of the economy as a whole,” Zetteler says.
Oh.
The “Design District was conceived to support this thriving sector, and sets out to conserve and enhance the tradition of innovation and making that has been central to London’s identity for centuries.”
Oh.
“Eight leading architects have been invited to design a collection of 16 buildings between them. These will support a vibrant community of start-ups, fledgling studios and ambitious international creative businesses with dedicated spaces for work, play and cultural activity.”
Oh.
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“The architects were briefed to develop their proposals independently to enable each studio to contribute its distinctive voice to the creation of a vibrant and eclectic landscape that reflects the diversity and dynamism of London’s ever-changing creative scene.”
Oh. And why is Zetteler interested in this new arts venture?
“As a long-standing champion of London’s creative sector, Zetteler is thrilled to be part of such an ambitious project. We’re developing and implementing a media strategy to launch Design District this year.”
Thank you. How much do the creative industries of your country contribute to your economy?
