The President of the Republic, Daniel Chapo, met yesterday in his office with representatives of the Mozambican cultural and creative sector, including the Association of Mozambican Writers (AEMO) and the Mozambican Federation of Cultural and Creative Industries (FEMMIC).

During the meeting, he reaffirmed the government's commitment to strengthening culture as an essential element in education, national identity and social cohesion.

The meeting addressed the sector's concerns and discussed ways of enhancing artistic practice in schools, promoting culture as a tool for education and development. According to the President, the use of the arts in youth education is essential to strengthen patriotism and national identity.

The Secretary of State for Arts and Culture, Matilde Muocha, highlighted the importance of the meeting as a milestone in communication between the government and civil society in the cultural sector.

"The players involved are concerned about being a strategic partner in fulfilling the government's agenda for social and economic development, using the arts, culture and the cultural and creative industries as their main assets," he said.

Among the points discussed was the need to strengthen the distribution of literary books in schools and consolidate a partnership between the state and artists to ensure greater access to culture. "There is clearly a pre-disposition and a commitment reaffirmed by the President of the Republic to strengthen the value chain of the cultural and creative industry in the country," added Muocha.

The Secretary General of AEMO, Carlos Paradona, expressed his satisfaction with the meeting, highlighting the President's attention to the concerns of writers and to encouraging reading.

"The President told the national writers that he will work to implement a solid and in-depth policy on books and reading in our country," he said. Paradona also revealed the government's intention to create Houses of Culture in every district of the country, which he said would be a big step towards promoting literature and knowledge among young people.

For her part, the President of FEMICC, Amélia Maria Matsinhe, highlighted the fundamental role of the creative sector in the country's development and defended the need to eliminate prejudices about the area.

"We came here to help destroy the myth that the creative sector is complicated or confusing. We brought six essential points so that the sector can grow and contribute to social cohesion and economic and social development," he said.

Matsinhe stressed the importance of strengthening legal instruments to support the area and defended the need for regular and constructive dialogue between the government and cultural organizations. "We hope that FEMICC and other organizations can be part of a constant, respectful and productive dialogue, with the aim of building a prosperous cultural and creative sector," he concluded.

The meeting was seen as an important step towards creating cultural development strategies in Mozambique, reinforcing the government's commitment to supporting and promoting culture and the arts as pillars of national development.

The speakers left confident that the concerns raised will be taken into account in the formulation of public policies aimed at the sector.

In addition, the need to involve more private sector actors in enhancing the creative industries became clear. Collaboration between companies, cultural institutions and artists could create funding and sustainability opportunities for the sector, guaranteeing the continuity of cultural projects and expanding their social and economic impact.