Development seen from a more holistic perspective looks beyond the expansion of material means and considers the enrichment of people’s lives. The arts are an indispensable asset in taking a comprehensive approach toward the improvement of lives. Incorporating aspects of international trade, education, sustainability, gender, mental health and social inclusion, The Creative Wealth of Nations demonstrates the diverse impact of applying the arts in development to promote meaningful economic and social progress. Patrick Kabanda explores a counterintuitive and largely invisible creative economy: whilst many artists struggle to make ends meet, the arts can also be a promising engine for economic growth. If nations can fully engage their creative wealth manifested in the arts, they are likely to reap major monetary and nonmonetary benefits from their cultural sector. Drawing from his own experience of the support music provided growing up amidst political and economic turmoil in Uganda, Kabanda shows us the benefits of an arts-inclusive approach to development in Africa, and beyond.

About the speaker:
Patrick Kabanda is author of The Creative Wealth of Nations, a book published in 2018 by Cambridge University Press, with a foreword by the philosopher and Nobel economist Amartya Sen. A Juilliard-trained organist and a Fletcher-trained international affairs professional, he received Juilliard’s William Schuman Prize for outstanding achievement and leadership in music in 2003, and from 2012 to 2013 he was a Charles Francis Adams Scholar at The Fletcher School. Besides concertizing and lecturing worldwide, he has taught at Phillips Academy, consulted for the World Bank’s Office of the Senior Vice President and Chief Economist, and contributed to the World Development Report 2016 and to UNDP’s 2015 and 2019 Human Development Reports. He was awarded the 2013 Presidential Award for Citizenship and Public Service from Tufts University, Massachusetts. (www.musikaba.net)