A coalition of charitable foundations are creating the Literary Arts Fund, which will distribute at least $50 million to various organizations over 5 years.

Twenty dance projects from around the country won grants totaling $100,000 dollars each today. These grants are among the most coveted in the dance world, but this round of winners is the last of its ...

In this new post from our Research and Analysis office, we look at two new reports on arts education and what they can tell us about why arts education matters.

A new report from FTI Consulting and Ukie is the first ever to put numerical value on the use and economic contribution of video game technology in sectors outside the games industry, itself worth £6 ...

The UK government has announced £380 million in targeted funding to support innovation, access to finance, R&D, skills and regional growth across the UK in its Creative Industries Sector Plan. […]

Popular Democratic Movement parliamentarian Inna Hengari on Wednesday proposed the establishment of a local content development fund. She tabled the motion during the National Assembly session. The motion seeks to address the urgent need to promote and prioritise the broadcast of local content on Namibia’s radio and television platforms. “To address these challenges and leverage our small population, I propose the establishment of a local content development fund as a cornerstone solution,” she said. She suggested that the fund, financed through a portion of the N$50 million allocated to the creative sector and supplemented by public-private partnerships, would provide grants, training, and technical support to Namibian artists and producers. By reducing financial barriers, she said, the fund would enable the creation of high-quality music, films, and television programmes tailored to Namibia’s cultural narratives. For a small population, this targeted investment ensures a steady pipeline of competitive local content without over-relying on high percentage quotas that may strain our limited production capacity. She said Namibia’s broadcasting landscape reveals a concerning imbalance as 80% of music played on local radio stations originates from foreign sources. This creates a homogenised media environment that marginalises Namibian artists. “This reliance on foreign content results in a significant outflow of royalties, depriving local creatives of economic opportunities and stifling the creative industry’s growth,” she said. The post PDM proposes local content fund appeared first on The Namibian.

Namibia’s creative sector took a step on the world stage at the 10th World Summit on Arts and Culture, held in Seoul, South Korea, last week. Under the theme, ‘Sustainable Futures: Creativity, Care, and Connectivity’, the summit welcomed hundreds of international participants, from cultural policymakers to artists and financiers, including the voices of the overlooked. The National Arts Council of Namibia (NACN) represented Namibia, demonstrating the country’s commitment to global cultural exchange and domestic creative empowerment. NACN administrator Gretta Gaspar describes the summit as “a moment of visibility and reflection for Namibia, where attendance marked determination to bring to light the unique realities of the Namibian creative ecosystem, specifically our artists in under-resourced and rural settings”. Gaspar notes that Namibia was not a mere observer, but an active participant – attending panel discussions, strategy roundtables, and bilateral meetings. She says one of the core messages that was brought to the summit included the need for sustainable arts funding in Namibia. “We pressed the needs of infrastructure gaps, training gaps, and access gaps to finance – especially for women, youth, and rural creatives,” Gaspar adds. The interventions have drawn attention from other global institutions eager to engage with emerging creative economies, she notes. Gaspar further adds that some of the outcomes have been talks likely to lead to formalised partnerships in ventures such as artist residencies, digital content production, and intellectual property protection. Namibia’s focus on equity and inclusiveness was the highlight in Seoul. Entering into the country’s ongoing review of the National Arts Fund Act, Gaspar spoke about policy shifts for decentralising arts support. “International lessons we learn should find expression in our realities. We want to localise these lessons for daily application – not just in Windhoek, but at Oshakati, Rundu, Keetmanshoop, and in every creative corner of Namibia,” she says. Gaspar says the most powerful impact of the summit may have been the sense of solidarity among Global South countries, which was revived. “There was a very strong sense of South-South cooperation. We met with peers from Africa, Asia, and Latin America to discuss co-productions and shared learning platforms,” she notes. Those connections are already being sought after with drafts of agreements for youth programming and rural artist development. She also notes that countries, such as South Korea, already include arts and culture in their national development plans. “We return with examples of what can be achieved when the creative economy is given policy space to flourish,” Gaspar says. She adds that these lessons are already having an impact on how the NACN thinks about digital inclusion and mobile training platforms for artists in Namibia. For local artists, its future dividend is already being mapped. Gaspar ensures that the experience and connections made will roll over into regional outreach programmes, more diversified funding calls, and exposure for Namibian artists to tap into international platforms. “We take the voices of our artists with us where we go. This meeting once again confirmed our mission to serve the industry with vision, based on local needs but inspired by global solidarity,” she concludes. The post Namibian voice echoes at arts summit in South Korea appeared first on The Namibian.

An article published by The Namibian on 14 April 2025, titled ‘Composers’ board delays election, faces corruption claims’, included views from the creative sector. However, the article did not present evidence to substantiate the corruption allegations. Consequently, we retract the allegations of corruption that appeared in the headline. We regret any implication caused and apologise for the error. The post Matter of fact: Composers’ board delays election, faces corruption claims appeared first on The Namibian.