Later this week, creatives, cultural entrepreneurs, the public and decision-makers from Africa, Europe and the rest of the world, are expected to convene in Paris, France for the Movement of Creatives Africas (MOCA)’ to discuss challenges, opportunities and innovations by culture and creative industries. The pan-African creative market place targets to meet expectations expressed by professionals and the public, through two days of conferences, speed meetings, workshops, networking and festivals. At the summit, Rwanda will be among 30 invited countries represented by a delegation physically in France physically as well as virtually to showcase Rwanda’s creativity, and showcase Rwanda’s cultural and creative scenes to the rest of the world online. It’s no brainer that at meeting, representatives present are likely to mention the role of the creative sector in economic development. This will not be the first time that the observation will be made or commitment has been made. However, follow up action has often not always been as evident in the local scene as has been the case on the continental scene. This has seen activities and operation in the creative sector remain in the informal sector with others still viewing them as passion projects. Limited initiatives to support the formalization and emergence of the creative sector has also seen the sector fall back with regard to working with partners such as the financial sector as there is little prelude to the opportunities for growth. Hopefully, the pace after the summit will be different this time. Hopefully, the summit will serve as an opportunity to benchmark best practices from across the world. Hopefully, the creative sector will be viewed as an opportunity to create livelihoods for millions of young people who are talented but have limited opportunities to turn their crafts into economic opportunities.
