Cultural actors have made "relevant proposals" to the authorities, including the diversification of financing mechanisms for their sector of activity, with a view to reviving cultural activities on the national territory, we learned. Friday from the supervising ministry.

The proposals were made during a workshop which lasted three days, in the presence of the Secretary General of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, Habib Léon Ndiaye. They concern the culture and arts sub-sectors and must be used for the sustainable recovery of a sector badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

''We were able to collect (…) a critical mass of proposals favorable to structuring reforms, which will put the sector on the launching pad, in particular the diversification and improvement of the mechanisms for financing culture,'' said underlined Lamine Sarr, the workshop facilitator.

The creation of a ''cultural bank'' is one of the proposals that have been made.

''The traditional banking sector is very skittish when it comes to financing culture, because it thinks it is not profitable. But it is a question of organization. The 350,000, or even 400,000 players in the sector can organize themselves and set up (…) a financial structure responsible for financing culture,'' reported Mr. Sarr, a former official of the Ministry of Culture and Communication.

The president of the Association of players in the music industry (AIM), Zeynoul Sow, believes that it is necessary “to supply this bank with innovative financing”. A proposal to which professionals in storytelling, theatre, cinema and creative audiovisual adhere.

They call for ''strengthening and diversifying the sources of funding by making effective the levy on private copying, tax levies on advertising, mobile phone companies, digital platforms, sponsorship, future oil revenues, etc. ''

Music players have asked for the cancellation of municipal taxes, so that cultural businesses can restart their activities. They also wanted financial aid to be provided to the organizers of shows.

The dancers made 14 recommendations, including setting up a fund dedicated to their sub-sector and strengthening the intellectual property rights of dance professionals.

Other proposals relate to the training of cultural players, their social support and legislative and regulatory reforms in the cultural world.

On the institutional level, the adoption of the law on the status of the artist, the reform of the law on cinema and the construction of cultural infrastructures in all regions are part of the panoply of proposals.

Habib Léon Ndiaye assures cultural actors that “no sub-sector of culture will be marginalized” during the implementation of the recovery plan. ''All the issues related to a good revival of the cultural sector have been reviewed,'' he said.