Presentation of Contract Guides for the Music and Craft Sector in Mozambique

 

The International Trade Centre (ITC) held a seminar in Maputo on the 18th and 19th November 2010 to present the contract guides it has developed for the music and craft sectors, and increase technical capacity for developing and negotiating contracts. This initiative is part of an overall review of the legal framework supporting the growth of the creative industries, which is being implemented by the MDG-F Joint Programme for Strengthening the Cultural and Creative Industries and Inclusive Policies in Mozambique.


Participants included artisans and musicians from Maputo City province and representatives of the Ministries and Institutions involved including: Ministry of Culture, Institute for the Promotion of Exports, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Tourism, National Institute of Cinematography and Audiovisuals, the Mozambican Association of Musicians, the Association of Mozambican Authors, and representatives from selected retail outlets that sell creative products.


The creative industries, specifically the music and craft sectors, have great potential to contribute to the socio-economic development of Mozambique and have an impact not only on the domestic market, but the international market. They are also vehicles of cultural identity which play an important role in transmitting the cultural diversity of the country. Nevertheless, trade in this sector has become weak, due to problems such as piracy, which affects 80% of people involved in the music industry, lack of a clearly defined legal framework and lack of a proper commercial contractual practice.


The need to have a legal instrument to facilitate the commercialization of their products was one which was strongly emphasized among members of the Mozambican craft and music industries. To respond to this need, the contract guides have been developed to identify the existing legal barriers that impede trade in the creative industries, offer recommendations to enhance the existing business environment and also provide some legal tools such as sample contracts for the sector.


Presentations of the contract guides will also take place in the cities of Nampula and Inhambane, the other two locations where the Joint Programme is being implemented, next year. It is hoped that they will contribute to the strengthening of these two important and dynamic sectors in the cultural and economic spheres.

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