Page 10 - IB July 2021

Covid and Creatives Covid and Creatives

Vou performers
WE NEED ART MORE NOW THAN EVER

FIJI’S CREATIVE INDUSTRIES IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

By Ariela Zibiah vibrancy and diversity of our communities.
The OECD predicted a massive digitalisation process as
The cultural and creative sectors are among the most af- lockdowns occurred, with the expectation that demand for
fected by the COVID-19 pandemic. income would push private and public providers to online
For many artists in Fiji, this means many are relying on one platforms. It warned, however of the need to address digital
meal a day and doing what they can to plant and grow food skills shortages and the severe job losses caused by the de-
for themselves and their families. mise of live shows.
However the pandemic has also opened new digital op-
portunities and a new era of survival approaches, both in our Trying to breathe
private and professional spaces. In Fiji, there is a clear divide between artists who invested
For those whose art form require close interaction with cli- in digital capabilities pre-COVID-1 9 and those who are now
ents, the border closures and the sudden end to global move- struggling to adapt. Discussing the repercussions of operating
ment also meant that regular income ebbed to a trickle by as a largely “informal collective” has also brought to the fore
the end of 2020. Now in mid-July 2021, even that trickle has the fact that if artists aren’t supported to prepare digitally,
stopped. Artists have been pushed to request food hampers, they may not have a chance to survive the imminent battle
feeling the pinch of a seemingly-abandoned sector. for online profile.
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Develop- The digitalisation of businesses in the creative industries is
ment (OECD) warned in September 2020 that the impact on progressing with established artists quickly jumping on social
the cultural and creative sector could last for years: first, it media platforms like Facebook, to livestream performances
will feel the absence of purchasing power (from the drastic and promote, for example, new tracks they’ve just dropped
drop in both local and international tourists). A reduction of on iTunes.
both public and private funding for arts and culture, espe- One such approach is the “digital solesolevaki” which is
cially at the local level, could amplify this negative trend. being advanced on Twitter Space. “We are like a bridge in a
The downsized cultural and creative sectors will then have sense,” Taniela Tokailagi said of the online platform he co-
an (negative) impact on earning power but importantly, the hosts with friends to support musicians. In December 2020,

10 Islands Business, July 2021