(image courtesy of musicpolicy.or.ke)
Following the appointment of a committee of experts and stakeholders in the music industry by The Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Sports, Culture and the Arts; Dr. Hassan Wario with a view to finalize the National Music Policy to safeguard this important cultural heritage, the draft Kenya National Music Policy is now available for public participation.
Kenya Has never had a music bill and to write this has taken lost of resources, time and energy. It’s about time we now made it a law.
— Mr. Music Biz Man (@ItsBuddhaBlaze) April 15, 2015
Thanks 2 new govt for pushing for Mwai Kibaki’s vision to come true. It’s been a tough journey but slowly we shall win #KenyanMusicPolicy — Mr. Music Biz Man (@ItsBuddhaBlaze) April 15, 2015
The public participation will be in form of a discussion set to take place on April 27th at the Louis Leakey Hall, National Museums of Kenya from 9am. The aim of the forum will be to discuss the validity of new proposed KENYAN MUSIC POLICY before it gets sent to its presentation to parliament and be passed as a bill that the President will then ascend into Law. If you are a Kenyan musician, confirm your attendance and interest in participation by sending an email to teresiajoroge(at)yahoo(dot) com to be included in the discussion, alternatively, give your feedback on their website
In the new #KenyanMusicBill we proposed that it becomes law for Kenyan Radio Stations to play 60% only Kenyan content on radio before others
— Mr. Music Biz Man (@ItsBuddhaBlaze) April 15, 2015
Some of the highlights from the Policy which is free and available to for Download Here are;
a. The Government shall facilitate music education and training at all levels of learning
b. Facilitation of research and documentation in the area of music
c. Setup of a Music Information Center to facilitate access to music and related information and services
d. National Government shall put structures ensuring that at least 60% of the music content aired is Kenyan and promotes Kenyan Cultures
e. Ensuring commercials on local products use local talent and expertise
f. Encouraging a broader coverage of folklore material in national and regional press and other media through grants, creation of jobs for folklorists and by ensuring proper archiving and dissemination of these folklore material.
g. The Government shall encourage the development of the necessary facilities conducive to fostering the dissemination of the arts and the meeting of artists with the public
h. The government will ensure laws on internet use are in line with emerging technology trends in regards to copyrights and intellectual property
i. Provision of funding for music projects and the promotion of music through grants or loans.
The committee members who worked on this National Music Policy draft are:-
- Mr. Wenslas Ong’ayo DAII – Chairperson
- Mr. Protus Onyango – Ag. Director, The Arts Dept.
- Mr. Rufus Thuku – PPMC
- Mr. Charles Muthini – PPMC
- Ms. Monica Sairo – MoSCA
- Angela Ndambuki – To represent Performers
- Suzanne Gachukia – To represent Producers
- Benard Kioko – To represent Publishers
- Hubert Nakitare (Nonini) – To represent Secular Music
- Alex Apoko (Ringtone) – To represent Gospel Music
- Maurice Okoth – To represent Composers,Authors and Arranger
National Music Policy Draft, read it at length and sign up as a participant for the event on April 27th. A conversation on this Policy draft is going on using #KenyanMusicPolicy