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Ladies and gentlemen of the media

As outgoing Minister, I wish to use this opportunity to give a brief overview of our activities so far and to also touch on the five pieces of legislation we hope to pass through Parliament during this Session.

ARTS AND CULTURE

When I was first appointed in this position, there were many who questioned the wisdom of a portfolio which embraced areas as seemingly diverse as arts, culture, science and technology. There were others who wished me luck in dealing with a passionate, volatile arts community on the one hand, and a cold, rational science sector on the other. As a trained medical doctor though, it was easy for me to see these areas as complementary, for as human beings, we are both intellectual and emotional. We have both the capacity of reason and to feel, and we use similar creative, problem-solving skills to produce art on the one hand and innovative technology on the other.

Twenty-seven months after my appointment, I have been challenged and stimulated, and I have learned much. And I am now ever more convinced of the importance of these two sectors; not only as complementary aspects of individual endeavour and growth, but as areas which are crucial to the well-being, development, quality of life and economic advancement of society in general.

The goals which I had set for my term of office, would obviously not have been realised within less than half that time, but I believe that a good foundation has been laid on which to build. In laying this foundation for arts and culture, five areas have been particularly crucial.

First, it was necessary to build trust with the arts community, and to establish a degree of co-operation between government and the cultural sector which historically, have been at odds with each other. While there will always be healthy tensions between government and artists who should be on the cutting edge of new ideas and social vision, the Arts and Culture Task Group (ACTAG) process represented a significant point in government's relations with the cultural community as they, for the first time in the history of the country, were comprehensively involved in helping to define an artistic vision and cultural policies for the country.

A second step was to translate this vision and these policies into concrete, workable structures and strategies. In this regard, the draft white papers on arts, culture and heritage and on film, as well as draft legislation for the National Arts Council, the National Film and Video Foundation Bill and the proposed National Heritage Council Bill, will dramatically alter the cultural landscape of our country by distributing access to skills, resources and infrastructure in the arts and heritage more equitably.

With the interim constitution assigning primary responsibility for arts and culture to the provinces, a third important foundational step was to build trust and constructive working relationships between central and provincial government. The monthly meetings of ministers responsible for arts and culture and the technical committee of regional and national cultural officials have contributed in a major way to building such relationships, so that for example, the draft white paper has been endorsed by provinces and the national department alike.

The fourth foundational step was to build the capacity of the department to deliver. It is true that within the proposed institutional arrangements for the arts, much of the responsibility for arts and culture will be devolved in independent, arm's length councils consisting of cultural practitioners themselves. It was nevertheless important to develop a new department which had the capacity to realise our vision in practice, and I believe that we are making steady progress in that direction, by attracting young, energetic and committed staff.

Finally, we have begun to build partnerships with other institutions and sectors of society, because we believe that it is not the sole responsibility of government to work in the best interests of the arts. For example, we are planning a conference to promote cultural tourism to encourage local government and the tourism industry to invest in the arts, because of the internationally proven economic impact of cultural and heritage tourism. We are also facilitating the establishment of a national association of private sector companies who support the arts, not only financially, but also with business expertise and experience.

With this foundation having been laid, I believe that the future of the arts is relatively healthy.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Innovation, the ability to create economic value from human knowledge, is the single sustainable source of advantage to modern nations. Natural resources dwindle, markets move, but the ability of people to turn ideas into new products and services will always be with us.

Scientific endeavour, the crucial function of generating and codifying knowledge, requires careful management in a small emerging nation like South Africa. Our efforts have often been fragmented and directed by global rather than globally relevant local requirements.

The White Paper on Science and Technology therefore envisages a single National Research Foundamention to co-ordinate research and capacity building at tertiary institutions.

Science in and of itself is a public good, but technology is a private asset. Nations distinguish themselves by their ability to develop, harness, adopt and adapt technology. Nations expend significant resources to "put science to work". The national federally funded laboratories of the United States directly employ 1 million people. Our own Science Councils cannot match that head count, but joined with our industrial research capacity, they are a crucial part of the texture of a resilient national system of innovation. To stimulate better interaction the structure of incentives and funding are being redesigned to enhance linkages between firms and councils, councils and the tertiary sector, and the critical links to international science and technology.

In order to encourage competitiveness, improve the quality of life of our citizens, ensure environmental stability, and to effectively harness information technology, we require great wisdom.

We have, potentially, a rich science and technology fabric to underpin innovation. We must avoid approaches that attempt to treat the threads and not the cloth. No one person or stakeholder can see clearly enough to do this on our behalf. For this reason we are introducing the National Advisory Council on Innovation Bill which will create an ongoing forum for reflection on the national system of innovation and its constituent parts.

It has been a rare pleasure for me to engage at home and abroad with the people of the science and technology community, and I wish them well in their creative and innovative endeavours. Science and technology are well-positioned to add weight to our national growth and development strategy. The White Paper process, the efforts of the National Science and Technology Forum, and the new consensus around the national system of innovation are a tribute to the efforts of the team of people I have so much enjoyed working with in the Department and Government, in industry, academia, and the Science Councils.

The past 27 months has been a challenging period, but also a very rewarding one. I trust that what we have started since the inception of the Department will bear those kind of fruits that will contribute to the growth of our Nation, not only in the economic sector, but also in arts and culture.

I thank you.

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