Why not art?

This research investigates the possibility of gaining support from private sector in Ethiopia by way of strategic CSR. It does this by first gaining contextual understanding into the culture of CSR in Ethiopia and by examining how Ethiopian private sector supports the core creative arts currently. To gain understanding as to possible constraints the research looks at alternative methods of support the core creative art sector in Ethiopia receives and the willingness of the creative agents to receive support from private sector. Owing to the exploratory nature of the subject under investigation, the study uses a qualitative analysis. The research has two sample groups comprised of core creative art agents and businesses operating in Ethiopia in order to gain a more complete understanding into the feasibility of using strategic CSR as an incentive to gain greater support for the core creative arts from private sector in Ethiopia. Snowball sampling is used to reach the sample group. It is most appropriate for the context as the art and business networks are small, intimately connected and not all have websites where contact information can be had. Throsby’s (2008b) model of core creative arts as part of creative industries is used. In this model, core creative arts are at the core of cultural production and include the art forms of literature, music, performance arts and visual arts. The core creative art forms interviewed of dance and music make up the performance art sample. Painters and video art makers comprise visual artists while a collective is representative of all core creative art forms that include poetry, performances and installations. The business sample is based on the leading export industries of textile and a hotel is representative of recent policy focus on tourism that includes the sub-segment of the hospitality industry. The study reveals that local private sector support for the core creative arts is in the form of philanthropy and through sponsorship. Philanthropic giving in Ethiopia for the core creative arts is done in the form of in-kind giving rather than financial while sponsorship is done purely for commercial benefits than as part of support for mutually beneficial outcomes. In both instances of support, philanthropic and sponsorship, there is little to suggest a strategically thought out forms of support. As well, there is little interaction that happens at the deeper level of private/public partnerships between local businesses and core creative art agents. This is overarched by a general lack of strategic engagement in business practices that limits strategic CSR. The analysis reveals multiple factors that act as constraints to the adoption of greater support for core creative arts from local businesses in Ethiopia. Among them are the socio-economic factors that limit demand for core creative arts and lack of government support that thwarts public exposure to the arts. In addition, minimal adoption of CSR as a business practice is legitimized by a lack of enforcement of it in the country that obstructs incentive for local businesses to engage. In combination, the potential of engaging with the core creative arts as part of strategic CSR is highly constrained in Ethiopia. This thesis does not expose solutions nor does it purport private sector as the solution for the challenges of the art sector in Ethiopia. Rather it aspires to draw on the current relationship between core creative art, private sector in Ethiopia and Ethiopia’s cultural policies with the hope that it bring attention to the sector and stimulate dialogue. This research makes the point that in promoting public/private partnerships between the core creative art agents in Ethiopia and Ethiopia’s private sector is beneficial to core creative art agents, private sector and government. To this end, based on reasoned points of mutual motivation and beneficial interest, it suggests urban tourism as a common ground as a starting point for dialogue to support the sector can begin.