ResiliArt Debate. Future of Creative Cultural Industries: Voices of Creative Industries in Central Asia

The “ResiliArt” movement was launched by UNESCO in response to the confinement and lockdown measures related to the international COVID-19 crisis and has three main goals:

• Raise awareness about the impact of COVID-19 on the culture sector in general and the livelihoods of artists and cultural professionals in particular;

• Provide a platform for artists and cultural professionals to ensure that their voices are heard at the policy level in order to address the existing gaps and needs;

• Contribute to the decision-making processes during the development of policies and mechanisms pertaining to the creative sector.

The debate covered lessons learnt from lockdowns and isolation, development of models supportive of culture that respond to the crisis, the role of culture and creative industries in promoting resilience, and the effect of COVID-19 on the livelihoods of artists in Central Asia.

During the discussion, the Vice-Minister of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Nurgisa Daueshov, proposed measures currently implemented by the Ministry to support creative industries. The presentation of the Deputy Director of the Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts and art expert, Ms. Cholpon Tentiyeva, was focused on the current state of museum workers and ways to adapt their work in the post-COVID-19 world. Mr. Bobur Ismailov, a renowned Uzbek artist, shared his thoughts on the new changes that influenced the life and work of visual artists. Ms. Juliana Volož, music producer, expert on world music, and owner of Germany-based “JV-Promotion” agency, shared tactics implemented or planned in Europe to support creative industries.

On 15 April 2020, on the occasion of World Art Day, UNESCO DG Audrey Azoulay reminded the words of Aimé Césaire: "Just as man needs oxygen to survive, he needs art and poetry" and added that "this crisis reminds us, as emphasized by Aimé Césaire, how much art and culture are vital needs for humanity, how much they are the ferment of our unity and resilience".

The full video of the debate is available on the YouTube channel of UNESCO Almaty Office: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H1eNsQar_U

In the near future, UNESCO Almaty Office will continue a series of debates in the framework of the "ResiliArt" movement.