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Cultural and Creative Sectors in Tajikistan: Facts and Numbers with Filmmaker Sharofat Arabova
The study focused specifically on the role of digital skills in cinema, music, and cultural events. Ms. Arabova interviewed local experts in the audio-visual field, including video operators, editors, sound directors, distributors, composers, musicians, actors, art managers, and representatives of professional unions. Additionally, the legal framework of creative industries in Tajikistan was analysed. During this briefcase study information from the Agency for Statistics under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, and annual country reports from Internews and the World Bank was also analysed.
Based on the interviews and analyses of available materials, the study identified eight key factors that hinder the development of creative industries in Tajikistan.
On average, women in Tajikistan are less likely to have access to special equipment, such as digital cameras, musical instruments, and software, which leads to them being less skilled with such equipment.
Examining the gender component of the issues within the creative sector proved to be a challenge. Quantifying the number of women working in the film and music industry was problematic due to the lack of official gender-based cultural statistics in the country. However, the data on higher education enrolment and graduation was available and it revealed a notable disparity between genders. The data on the number of specialists professionally involved in creative industries also revealed a gender gap.
Regardless of gender, the creative and cultural sectors remain an unpopular choice field for many young Tajiks when it comes to selecting their academic majors in colleges and universities. Creative professionals interviewed by Ms. Arabova were not surprised by this fact. According to musician and sound designer Shakrinisso Yakovleva, music and filmmaking industries in Tajikistan are simply not lucrative. These sectors are often perceived as means of artistic expression rather than commercial ventures.
Despite the challenges and limitations, Sharofat Arabova remains optimistic about the future of the creative and cultural industries in Tajikistan. Her study makes several recommendations on developing digital skills among the professionals working in these fields.
One of the recommendations is to introduce marketing research in the creative industries to understand the needs of the market and target audience, and to develop strategies for promoting film products and cultural events. Ms. Arabova also believes the professionals in the field are in need of a training on intellectual property. Developing digital skills and online distribution of domestic film production is also important, along with establishing regular professional networking between specialists to exchange experience and feedback.
The United Nations designated 21 April as On this day, we acknowledge and celebrate the role of creativity and innovation in all aspects of human development. We invite the world to embrace the idea that innovation is essential for harnessing the economic potential of nations. Innovation, creativity, and mass entrepreneurship can provide new momentum towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They can harness economic growth and job creation, while expanding opportunities for everyone, including women and youth. They can provide solutions to some of the most pressing problems such as poverty eradication and the elimination of hunger. Human creativity and innovation, at both the individual and group levels, have become the true wealth of nations in the twenty-first century.
The “National Study of the Level of Development of Digital Skills in Music, Film and Organization of Cultural Events in the Republic of Tajikistan” was conducted as part of UNESCO Almaty’s "" project. The project is supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Korea as part of the UNESCO Digital Creativity Lab.
