Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Gayton McKenzie articulated a bold vision for the future of culture, framing it as an essential, integrative force in global dialogue and development. 

Speaking at the G20 Ministers of Culture Meeting in Zimbali, McKenzie said South Africa’s presidency has worked tirelessly to ensure that culture, heritage, and the creative economy are recognised as engines of inclusion and development. 

“Throughout our Presidency, South Africa has championed culture’s multifaceted role in building a fairer world. We have prioritised cultural heritage in the face of climate change – protecting irreplaceable sites from rising seas and wildfires, ensuring that the voices of our ancestors are not silenced by environmental catastrophe.

“We have harnessed digital technology to democratise culture, making museums virtual and art accessible to billions. And critically, we have confronted injustices of the past through restitution, while forging pathways for future equity in the creator economy,” McKenzie said. 

“Equally urgent is the restitution of cultural artefacts – the scars of colonialism that we are finally healing. I celebrate the positive steps from nations once complicit in pillage.” 

Speaking on equal pay for cultural work in the digital age, McKenzie said the fight for equal recognition and remuneration for cultural work online, was a personal campaign. 

He said culture must not be divided between the connected and the disconnected, between those who get paid and those who get applause but no income. 

“When we speak of inclusion, it must mean economic inclusion for the millions of young people creating online,” McKenzie said. 

On restitution of cultural heritage and human remains, McKenzie said the presidency focused on returning cultural artefacts and ancestral remains, stolen or unethically acquired during colonial rule.

“Another pillar of our cultural agenda during the South African Presidency has been restitution and redress for past injustices: the return of cultural artefacts to their places of origin, and the respectful repatriation of human remains that were unethically acquired,” McKenzie said. 

“We recognise with gratitude and respect the positive steps already taken by former colonial powers and institutions.” 

McKenzie added that repatriating cultural items and ancestral remains helps restore a part of the shared humanity.

“Our presidency calls on all G20 members to adopt national restitution frameworks, and to support the establishment of an International Cultural Restitution Fund that helps with provenance research, storage, and repatriation logistics — especially for nations without the resources to do so alone,” McKenzie said. 

The Minister said South Africa’s presidency introduced a new layer of focus – cultural justice in the digital age. 

“We placed emphasis on the unevenness of global digital remuneration and representation, arguing that algorithms and platform structures must reflect fairness and diversity. Under South Africa’s leadership, the G20 Cultural Group formally endorsed the concept of Digital Cultural Equity, established a Task Team on Repatriation and Restitution, and opened negotiations for the International Cultural Restitution Facility,” McKenzie said. 

KwaZulu-Natal Sport, Arts and Culture MEC Mntomuhle Khawula said that the G20’s discussions and agreements focus on preserving heritage and showcasing G20 cultures. This includes facilitating cultural exchanges and the repatriation of colonial-era heritage and cultural objects to their countries of origin.

He said cultural and heritage tourism’s contribution to the gross domestic product (GDP) of various nations and countries, particularly through art, culture, and heritage, is a crucial consideration.

“The deliberations have been fruitful, engaging, and at times, tense. The agreements were reached in the early hours of today at 5am. That’s when they finished agreeing on everything that is there,” Khawula said. 

He added: “In the G20, there is now going to be a declaration that is named after the historic homestead of King Shaka, the KwaDukuza declaration. We are making history.” 

thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za

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