Arts And Culture Linked Directly To The Economy In Tanzania With Multiple Strategies

The African nation of Tanzania might not strike you as an arts and culture hotspot, yet the demand for African culture has always been high. When done properly, the passing on of art, stories, and ideas can become well-travelled without being appropriated. Placed in the right context, with the blessing of the proprietors who made it, items and ideas of specific cultural value can become treasured items the world over. This is good for the economy and Tanzania is working to ensure this remains integral to their national progress.


With the help of The Tanzania Federation of Arts and Crafts, artists are being given the tools they need to use digital platforms in their selling process. When people have more money because their business is improving, the whole community benefits. This is because these better-off individuals can afford to pay for more products and services. It is an enlightened move to promote the use of digital technology in an industry that traditionally relied on galleries and market-stalls.


The scheme was first communicated during a speech at the Bimdashi Beyond Herself exhibition at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Center in Dar es Salaam. Including Tanzanian artists from a scope of genres, this Mother's Day themed showcase involved poetry, painting, drawing, digital art, cartoons, photography, and sculpture. During the event, Tanzanians were encouraged to visit as many exhibitions as possible, as “Art Is Medicine” - All Africa. According to a recent survey, the Tanzanian population contains up to 6 million people who identify as artists. The majority of these are painters, sculptors, and potters. This recent exhibition showcased 36 of these artists, and it is hoped the whole can be given the tools they need to sell more online.


Artists like these are exactly the kind of people I intended to help when I began my Lucid Leadership series on Medium.com

The Language of Political Cartoons in Tanzanian Kiswahili Newspapers