Zimbali: As the international community embraces the digital revolution and artificial intelligence (AI), KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Sport, Arts and Culture, Mntomuhle Khawula, has stressed the importance of safeguarding the intellectual property and moral rights of artists and creative practitioners.
According to South African Government News Agency, Khawula emphasized that cultural and creative sectors are integral to the global economy, contributing significantly to Gross Domestic Product and providing employment to millions, particularly young people. These sectors, he noted, are central to national innovation, identity expression, and economic diversification.
While AI presents numerous opportunities for creativity and innovation, the MEC acknowledged the new and complex challenges it brings. Speaking at the fourth Group Twenty (G20) Culture Working Group (CWG) Meeting, Khawula urged that these challenges should be viewed as opportunities for new advancements and collaborations.
The meeting, part of the lead-up to the G20 Summit scheduled for November 2025, was held under the theme: ‘Solidarity, Equality and Sustainability.’ The G20 Culture Working Group, established in 2020, aims to promote culture as a vehicle for sustainable development, support the creative economy, and protect cultural heritage worldwide.
Khawula highlighted that in South Africa, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, the creative and cultural industries are seen as a new economic frontier. The province aims to position itself as a gateway for cultural exchange, investment, and innovation within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the broader African continent.
The MEC underscored Africa’s diverse cultures and tourist attractions as significant leverage for investment and trade. He stressed the importance of collective synergy among ministers to harness multilateral relations and transform potential into tangible outcomes, particularly through cultural and heritage tourism.
Khawula emphasized that cultural and heritage tourism is about transforming heritage into economic opportunity. He cited KwaZulu-Natal’s historical sites, such as the Valley of the Zulu Kings and the Drakensberg Mountains, which are being reimagined into centers of learning and sustainable tourism.
With the establishment of the African Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), Khawula noted the potential for a new era of economic collaboration across Africa’s 55 member states. The MEC called for united efforts to build a thriving continent, rich in opportunities and open for business, through strategic partnerships that integrate creative industries into global value chains.
He concluded by advocating for inclusive growth in the creative industries, ensuring that no one is left behind in the journey towards a prosperous Africa.