Arts Management: The Engine Room of Uganda’s Creative Economy

What is Arts Management?

Some see it as just managing a gallery or a concert. But at its core, Arts Management is the getting things done side of creativity. If an artist is a high performance car, the manager is the fuel and the mechanic.

In Africa, and specifically here in Uganda, our definition goes deeper. It is about Community Building. It is the bridge between raw talent and a sustainable industry.

The Reality: 4 Challenges We Face in Uganda

While our creative scene is exploding with talent, the management side still faces significant hurdles:

1. The Funding Shift: Unlike the West, we cannot always rely on government subsidies. Today’s Ugandan arts manager must be an entrepreneur, finding creative ways to partner with the private sector (Telecoms, Banks, NGOs) to keep the lights on.

2. The Training Gap: We have world class artists but a shortage of trained administrators. Many creative hubs are run by the artists themselves, who often have to juggle the business, contracts, marketing, and logistics on top of their craft.

3. Policy vs. Practice: There is often a disconnect between national cultural policies and the daily reality of artists at places like the National Theatre or local studios. We need managers who can bridge this gap.

4. Professional Staffing: Many of our museums and festivals are understaffed. Without a dedicated management team, even the most brilliant artistic projects struggle to survive past the first year.

The Way Forward

Arts management is not just about spreadsheets, it is about continuity and sustainability. It is about creating an environment where a Ugandan artist can focus 100 percent on their creativity because the logistics are handled.

By professionalizing the sector with out of the box ideas and dedicated teams, we can turn our cultural heritage into a powerful economic driver.

Let’s discuss:

To my fellow Ugandan creatives and professionals what do you think is the biggest barrier to professionalizing our arts sector today? These reflections came after a really fantastic read of Mastercard Foundation’s report “Skilling Uganda’s Young Creatives for a Digital Age” (mastercardfdn.org/en/our-research/skilling-ugandas-young-creatives-for-a-digital-age-recommendations) and Parsec Wallis’ opinion piece “Current Issues in Arts Management” (parsecwallis.com/current-issue-in-arts-management).

Let me know here.

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