A fortnight ago, at the fifth meeting of the steering committee of the Federal Government Artistes Welfare Fund, some well-known artistes made recommendations in the presence of the president. It was decided that the committee would monitor the implementation of its decisions and recommend how to make its work more effective.
Any effort made to look after the needs of the artistes is always welcome. But what makes this one a little dubious is that every now and then there is an announcement based on a handout of some high office about a committee being formed to look after the monetary or financial needs of the artistes in the country. One has been privy to many committees being set up in the last three decades at all levels -- and still there is hardly any improvement, except for those working in the forms and mediums which are popular and can make sufficient returns on the market.
Unfortunately, it appears there may be some political capital to be made by such announcements - on how the government is perceived or those in power care and feel for the artistes of this country.
One does not know what has happened to all the committees that have been made from time to time. If they all still function, then there has been a massive of work -- so many committees doing the same work and hence, either colliding with each other and cancelling everything out or dividing everything into bits to hardly come up with anything substantial.
In the end, the resources will work out to a pittance or very small sums distributed that do not make any qualitative difference to the life of the artistes at all.
The presidents, the prime ministers and the ministers have been making such announcements through their offices. It does make front page news, but one does not know, as there has hardly been any follow up, what these committees actually achieve. There have been committees for writers, poets, actors, musicians, painters and what not, but there is not much that really filters down to those in dire straits.
One knows that the various departments too have their welfare funds, like the Arts Councils, Lok Virsa, Pakistan National Council of the Arts, the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation, Pakistan Television, the academies, various boards of writers and poets, and the ones at the provincial level managed by the information departments, some by ministers and even by chief ministers… But, still, there is an ever-growing demand that the government is not doing enough for the artistes and that it should do more.
Many of the artistes are not well off and do not have resources to look after their needs in case they fall ill. Many more are actually out of work for the lack of opportunities in their respective areas of specialisations. There was once a thriving film industry, releasing more than a hundred films a year but now even if 10 are released, the faces are lit and it is considered a positive step towards the revival of cinema in the country. Artistes were gainfully employed in the various departments of filmmaking. However, only those who have more saleable skills to offer have been absorbed into the ever-growing television production network.
One way could be for the government to offer incentives -- to show business rather than to discourage by imposing a number of taxes. It must increase substantially the budget of the bodies that are working under it.
We know that all the government funded bodies have budgets to just provide for the salaries of their employees and to meet with the utility expenditures while there are hardly any allocations for programmes or development as it is labelled in budgetary jargon. It is ironic that the department and bodies have been formed but the purpose for which they have been formed gets inadequate funding from the government. These bodies have just become dumping grounds and employment exchanges for providing a few secure jobs to artistes cum administrators but do little work or as much work as they are supposed to do or can do.
Over the years, due to this inertia, the capacity to work has decreased greatly with people just treating it like any other government job, only working for their own perks and privileges and not for the purpose for which the department of the body has been set up.
It would be much more useful, or money well spent, if the development budgets of their bodies are enhanced substantially, and they offer work to the idling artistes. Being state-funded bodies, they can create work in areas that may not have a ready market but is considered significant from an artistic point of view. These artistes can be absorbed in such creative work and will not also have the feeling that they are surviving on dole. The self-respect of the artistes is the principal asset and if lost can damage their integrity that pre-qualifies creativity.
Recording of music numbers, publication of books, holding of exhibitions, making of films and staging of plays can be some of the promotional steps that can be taken, and more can be looked into.
It will inspire the artist to create more if he or she knows that the work is reaching the relevant audience.