NEW YEAR START IN ISArC IN MAPUTO
Here is a little photo album from the event
A full auditorium of eager students and teachers
Today, 16th of February was the official opening of the academy ISArC after the summer break. Now the school comprises of two years in BA. The second year students are really in-house gang since they have actually been one and a half year already in the school because of the pilot semester we had in the beginning. And the 1st year is starting their BA education today. The opening ceremony was actually touching, especially when one reflects back to the early days. The auditorium was full of young people, the creatives of the future Mozambique, artists, designers and cultural managers.
It was fun to see the students from cultural management running the show, with dance, music and the formal speeches. Director Filimone Meigos started the proceedings but the main speaker today was the poet and writer and economist Dr António Pinto de Abreu. He spoke about the development of the creative and cultural industries in Mozambique. Something that goes hand in hand with the development of ISArC and seems to be understood by the leaders of the school. Some of the art academies in Europe still stick to their heroic artists position, wanting to ignore the effects of economy on art, production and consumption. Teachers in art schools until just recently did not want to have anything to do with profit and arts consumption, while it is understood that cultural development and art is not disconnected to the development of society. Dr. António Pinto de Abreu spoke at length about these issues, discussed the individual and society in general, development of Mozambican culture. He referred to the explanations about equties from the economist Hernando do Soto and made the clear statements that here in the South the capital exists, in things, in people in systems, but it is not validated by the economic system that is directed by the developed countries.
The lecture was very relevant to the students and staff, especially in relation to how global economics are developing today. It is interesting that this is one of the first things that we discussed here in Maputo on my first visit here in 2007, visiting the business department, the school of architecture and the foundation art school ENAV.
Research in various countries is confirming the influence on ecomomic growth by the cultural industries, one came out just recently in my country Iceland. The best arguments for development economics came out in 2008 in the Creative Economy Report by UNCTAD (The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development), where it is clarified that the support and development of the cultural and creative economy is the most effective way for development as well as far best supporting gender equality and diversity.
Dr. António Pinto de Abreu giving his pep talk. Director of ISArC Dr. Filimone Meigos listens from the main table, and teachers in the front row.
It will be exciting to follow the coming year in ISArC with this large student group, lots of positive wibe and a generation that will in the future take over the culture of the Mozambican nation.
Sudents in ISArC performing. The slide says: The Cultural and Creative Industries and the Development of the Economy
February 16, 2011
Tags: academy, art, creative economy, culture, DESIGN, economy, mozambique Posted in: DESIGN, ISAC - KHiO, PONDERINGS
