Hazel Friedman
MUSIC might be the food of love, but it can also provide essential nutrients for economic growth.
This is the message from the general manager of Ausmusic, Sue Gillard, a speaker at an international conference on the economic benefits of arts and culture in South Africa, to be held in Grahamstown, from June 11 to June 13.
A project of the Grahamstown Foundation – of which Chris Mann is operations director – and earmarked to take place just before the Standard Bank National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, the conference has already attracted some of the most visible names in both the art of business and the business of art.
The conference will be opened by Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture Brigitte Mabandla. Speakers will include government officials and private sector researchers with successful investment strategies in the fields of cultural economics. Delegates from The Netherlands, Morocco, Mexico, the United States, Germany, Canada, Egypt and Thailand will also be attending.
Drawing on regional studies, they will speak in broad terms about successful corporate-cultural projects in their respective countries, and how these can be adapted to suit South Africa’s situation.
Such is the case with Gillard, who has been brought to South Africa by the Peter Stuyvesant-sponsored Midi Trust to conduct a series of seminars in Johannesburg.
A teacher and musician, Gillard was responsible for developing national training programmes and resources for contemporary music in Australia. She is now involved in developing a broader base for the music industry, increasing employment opportunities, providing training programmes for technicians and helping to maximise both the creative and technical potential of all stakeholders in the music industry.
She insists she is not here to prescribe to South Africans how to kickstart their own culture. She simply wishes to assist in increasing the economic and cultural benefits of music.
— For further inquiries, contact Rosie Katz 482-7037