UN initiates copyright bill awareness in South Sudan

The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) introduced a forum to raise awareness on copyright bills in the country on Thursday.

The move is to support a new regulatory framework to strengthen the cultural and creative industry in South Sudan.

UNESCO representative in South Sudan, Julius Banda, says the copyright bill will protect poets, artists, writers, filmmakers, and actors from cyber criminals to ensure they benefit from their products.

“I encourage you to look for opportunities to market what you do because we want to see national artists able to live out of the production, whether you write a book, songs, drama, or filmmaking. We want to see artists striving and contributing to the country’s economy.” Banda added.

Julius Banda encourages South Sudanese in the creative industry to be ambassadors of peace and promote cultural content through songs, writing, or filming.

He told the artists to look for market opportunities to promote their brands. Banda stated the need for the government to accede to treaties that guarantee more artwork protection.

“Artists like you need to be making that Lobby with the government so that they can accede to those treaties. Because it can guarantee more protection to your work, he said.

Hope Society, a non-profit organization working in South Sudan to improve and promote Arts and Culture also involved in the copyright bills initiative. Its Executive Director, Deng Aling, says the awareness will continue for two months (July and August) in Wau, Aweil, and Bor.

He highlighted there would be panel discussions, and senior government officials and other stakeholders, including members of parliament, will participate before the bill’s final approval by the Minister of Justice.

The UN and its partners said it would conduct more training for artists on the culture of creativity and make samples to be creative arts. He said such stuff would be shared online to get money and ensure they are protected.

South Sudan is working on enacting the bills to form the basis of a permanent constitution as stated in the revitalized agreement.