Bulawayo, (New Ziana) – Government is intensifying efforts to create a conducive environment for the country’s cultural and creative industries through progressive policies aimed at strengthening the sector’s contribution to national development, a Cabinet minister said.
This was said by Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Anselem Sanyatwe during the launch of the 2026 National Culture Month commemorations at Barbourfields Stadium on Thursday.
This year’s National Culture Month celebrations are running under the theme “Cultural Diversity and Advancing Vision 2030”.
The commemorations brought together traditional leaders, artists, cultural practitioners, policymakers and community representatives from across the country.
“The Ministry remained committed to empowering artists, cultural practitioners and creative entrepreneurs across the country.
“As a ministry we continue to work hard in improving the enabling environment for our sector by crafting policies that make cultural creative business to strive,” said Sanyatwe.
Her said the cultural and creative industries were central to the country’s drive towards achieving Vision 2030, adding that culture was not a peripheral aspect of development but a pillar of national identity and economic transformation.
“This year’s theme is not merely a slogan, it is indeed a national declaration. It says with clarity and conviction that the country’s path to an upper-middle-income society by 2030 is culture-driven,” he said.
Sanyatwe said local languages, arts, heritage and creative industries were critical foundations for sustainable development and social cohesion.
“Our cultures are not merely decorations on the margins of development. They are its very foundation and backbone,” he said.
He commended the city of Bulawayo for hosting this year’s commemorations, describing it as a symbol of unity in diversity where different ethnic groups and cultures have co-existed for generations.
“This city is itself a living testimony of cultural diversity where Ndebele, Kalanga, Venda, Tonga, Nambya, Shangani and Shona-speaking people, among many others, have co-existed together across generations, making it a rainbow city,” he said.
Sanyatwe also highlighted government’s partnership with UNESCO in documenting and preserving the country’s intangible cultural heritage in all provinces.
“The ministry has partnered with UNESCO in compiling the intangible cultural heritage in all provinces. Allow me to applaud our traditional leaders for the immense support they are giving to the ministry as we undertake this noble cause,” he said.
He described culture as “the heartbeat of the community” and urged Zimbabweans to embrace and preserve their heritage for future generations.
“It is not just found in the clothes we wear, the food we eat or the music that we play. It is the living history of who we are and the values we hold dearly,” said Sanyatwe.
The commemorations, which rotate annually among the country’s 10 provinces, are designed to celebrate the country’s rich cultural diversity while promoting inclusivity and heritage preservation in line with the Second Republic’s development agenda of leaving no one and no place behind.
New Ziana
