A Ugandan shows foreign nationals some of the African materials. Photos | Bussein Samilu
Mr Robert Musiitwa, the head of public relations and marketing at the Uganda National Cultural Centre (UNCC) has blamed the government for continuously neglecting the arts and cultural sector in terms of financing.
During the national celebrations of the World Cultural Day at UNCC on Sunday, Musiitwa said that despite being a government agency, UNCC has no operating budget which is constraining their activities.
“As you have seen, we would have wanted this to be massive, but of course, we are unable to do that because of the funding,” he said.
UNCC, a government agency, operates under the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development (MoGLSD).
Mr Musiitwa said that the government is having challenges with funding its national budget simply because of what he called wrong investment.
Culture and arts which employs a big number of youth, he said has the capacity of transforming this already struggling economy to world class.
“We are asking the government that if they can only invest in arts and culture, they can be able to have returns, just like they’re investing in security, medication and other sectors,” he said.
The national celebrations were organized by the Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda in partnership with the MoGLSD and UNCC, under the theme: promoting cultural diversity for livelihood.
Robert Musiitwa, the head of marketing and public relations at UNCC
Ms Barbra Babwetweera the executive director of the CCFU said that a united community if properly handled will lead the country through a progressive nation.
Mr Charles Batambuze, the deputy chairperson of the National Cultural Forum who officiated the function called upon creative artists to always produce good work instead of just lamenting.
“People are not playing their parts but instead wait on a saviour to come and save them,” he said.
World cultural day is held annually on May 21, to celebrate not only the richness of the world’s cultures but also the essential role of intercultural dialogue in achieving peace and sustainable development.
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