White Paper on South African Cultural Policy

Our second document was the 1996 White Paper on South African Cultural Policy.

We supplemented this policy analysis by looking also at Arterial network's template for cultural policy in African nations.

Some comments from our group...

Corey comments:

The overall tone of the document falls within a number of the communication policy models we've discussed in class. There is a clear Development angle, as this document calls for the establishment of such cultural organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts as well as a Ministry of Culture. There is also a Nationalist-Cultural model being implemented, as the government of South Africa makes it clear throughout the document that they are acting in the best interest for their various walks of people - setting standards for all to live by. Then again, it also beckons to the Liberal model as well in such sections as the push for a competitive and robust media market with local content being produced for every cultural denomination in the country.

Erica comments:

I've been reading the White Paper and I really like the language they use and their vision of culture! It's very encompassing, inclusive (our futures), and balanced. I would think it's been a good guideline for subsequent policies. Of course, I'd like to see how it's actually been implemented and whether there have been any controversies that I haven't grasped from just reading the document. That'll be my next step, and I'm guessing the progress report will shed some light on that.