Hon Chairperson, apartheid affected the distribution of public funds in support of arts and culture activities and institutions. It created imbalances in the geographical location of physical arts and culture infrastructure, and the dissemination of culture knowledge. It is no surprise that some of our areas have no museums and archives to preserve the culture and educate young people about the rich cultural diversity found in many of our communities. This is one aspect where we would like to appeal to the Minister to ensure that it receives the highest priority. We need to ensure more resources for the building of cultural institutions such as museums and libraries.
We want to make an appeal to our government, particularly through the Department of Arts and Culture, to establish more government-sponsored activities and seminars to educate our people about the struggle for liberation in our country and the impeccable role played by the ANC in leading the fight against apartheid in the country. This is not about politics; it is about our history as a nation and the path that we have travelled to building this great nation.
Hon Chairperson, the ANC supports the Arts and Culture Budget Vote. I thank you. [Applause.]