The GoDown and The Creative Economy Working Group
The GoDown is a founding member of The Creative Economy Working Group (CEWG), a network of civil society organizations in Kenya.
The goal of CEWG is to promote creativity, innovation, and the diversity of the cultures of the people of Kenya as drivers of community well-being, social development, and economic growth. The belief is that this goal can be realized through the development of facilitation policies and legal instruments and the establishment of strong and innovative institutions.
To this end, the network works closely with state and non-state actors in policy reform, safeguarding cultural diversity and protection of artistic freedom.
The engagement with government public institutions has led to the development of a National Culture Policy and Bill, which are aligned to the Constitution of Kenya.
The engagement has also led to the drafting of a Draft National Kiswahili Council Policy and Bill, the enactment of the Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Expressions Act; the Copyright Amendment Act and draft policies on languages of Kenya. Moreover, the networks advocacy work has enhanced the status of the creative sector and built vital networks between industry and educational institutions.
The network has organized numerous forums on the cultural and creative industries to identify gaps and provide capacity development. At the regional level, the network contributed to the enactment of the East African Community Cultural and Creative Industries Act (2016). To increase and share knowledge, the network publishes Jahazi: an arts, culture and performance journal and the online platform www.wabunifu.org