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13 April 2011 Volume 34 Issue 7 creative industries
Creative Industries and the Arab Economies
While the traditional manufacturing industries were seriously hit by the recent financial and economic crisis, the more knowledge-based creative sectors were more resilient to external shocks, according to the Creative Economy Report 2010 launched at the United Nations on 30 March.
The 400-page report carries ten clear messages to provide a synthesis of the main findings and policy recommendations. It also assesses the development of creative industries in some key Arab markets.
Abu Dhabi For the UAE, the creative economy became a key sector to diversify the whole economy. According to the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, the government intends to make quality media production in Arabic-language content a vector for growth. Large investments are being made in the development of new media. As part of the strategy to develop a favourable environment for the creative industries, a governmental organization was set up in 2008 to cater to the film, broadcast, digital, gaming, publishing and music industries. Moreover, Abu Dhabi is seeking to become a cultural centre within the region, its $27 billion Saadiyat Island project designed to house the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Guggenheim museum project, preserving Gulf culture while also embracing the arts and culture of the West.
Dubai The new media city complex in Dubai has turned the UAE into a centre for broadcasting and publishing. The massive production city is growing into a sprawling movie and television production zone, seeking to do for Dubai what Hollywood did for Los Angeles. An innovation campus opened in 2009 with the support of the Dubai Culture and Arts centre aims to support small businesses in the creative industries and promote dialogue among creative entrepreneurs. Creativity is everywhere, from ergonomic flexible workspaces to such facilities as a cinema/auditorium for lectures and screenings, a library housing over a thousand books on cultural and creative topics, a small shop offering design objects, a brasserie offering affordable and healthful food and a garden for much needed breaks from work. In addition, Dubai Studio City, a film and broadcast industry cluster is attracting interest among global filmmakers. The cluster is an all-encompassing destination offering facilities for design, visual effects and music composition in addition to pre-built
studios, sound stages, training academies and a business centre. The state-of-the-art infrastructure will eventually feature 14 fully equipped sound stages, a 3.5 million square feet backlot for outdoor shooting, commercial offices and post-production studios. Another sign that creative industries are receiving growing consideration in the region was the fact that Christie’s, the international auction house, held the first contemporary art auction in the Middle East in Dubai few years ago. Contemporary Arab, Iranian, Indian and Western art drew collectors from all over the world. From Arabic calligraphy to American icon Andy Warhol, 190 works of contemporary art went under the hammer in Dubai, previously better known for its glass skyscrapers than its arts scene.
Lebanon There is significant creative industry activity, especially in Beirut. The city used to be a broadcasting centre for the Arab world, with a pan-Arab market of some 280 million people. It is the production centre for television, as well as for films, and has regional advantages in terms of film locations, creative writers, actors, directors, and a continuing influx of technical graduates from Lebanese universities as well as a comparative advantage in translators, with many creative people in Beirut fluent in at least three languages. Important film festivals are organized in Beirut. Seven Lebanese universities offer courses in film production or audiovisual arts. Lebanon itself has seven active “licensed” TV channels, as well as a small number of unlicensed ones. Most of these are entertainment channels. Lebanon has around 12 production houses, producing commercials, music videos, and corporate films as well as TV programmes, and several post production companies, including state-of the art animation facilities. The average Lebanese household has two television sets, with 65 per cent of Lebanese adults watching TV for 2 to 4 hours per day. Almost 80 per cent of Lebanese households have access to cable television. A WIPO study from 2004, Creative Industries in Arab Countries, describes and explains the economic
performance of four key copyright-based industries — book publishing, music sound recording, film production and software — in five Arab States: Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia. The overall results of the study suggest that copyright-based industries in Arab States are substantially underdeveloped and that there remains a great potential that should be systematically mobilized. A more recent global study forecasts that the market for new digital media in the Middle East will grow at double-digit rates per year over the next five years. The region’s growth is expected to far outstrip the rest of the world, which is expecting an average expansion rate of 6.6 per cent. The demography of the Arab population, with 60 per cent of the population below 25 years old, means a strong interest for new digital media, making it a profitable industry in the future. The eco-spa industry offers a very good illustration of the many benefits of ecotourism. Countries such as Morocco and Tunisia have developed great expertise in the spa industry, drawing on traditional knowledge in the areas of medicine, health care and a healthy diet. Policies paid special attention to linking their spa industries with local gastronomy. The international Spa Industry Association reported in 2009 that the industry grew 18 per cent in 2008, to a value of $12.8 billion. The creative economy has become a topical issue of the international economic and development agenda during the past decade, calling for informed policy responses in both developed and developing countries, argues the new UNDP report, whose full title is Creative Economy: A Feasible Development Option. Adequately nurtured, creativity and the cultural industries inspire a human-centred development and constitute the key ingredient for job creation, innovation and trade while contributing to social inclusion, cultural diversity and environmental sustainability, the report says. In 2008, the eruption of the world financial and economic crisis provoked a drop in global demand and a contraction of 12 per cent in international trade. However, world exports of creative goods and services continued to grow, reaching $592
www.abcc.org.uk
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