History

The National Institute for Cultural and Creative Industries, IP (INICC, IP) is a public institution with legal personality and administrative and financial autonomy, established במסגרת the institutional reform of Mozambique’s cultural sector, pursuant to Decree No. 23/2019 of 28 March.

The establishment of INICC, IP is part of a historical trajectory that began in the years following national independence, marked by the recognition of culture as a fundamental pillar of sovereignty, Mozambican identity, social cohesion and sustainable development.

The first body formally dedicated to the promotion and management of cultural production was the National Institute of the Book and the Record (INLD), created by Ordinance No. 119/75 of 22 November, under the supervision of the then Ministry of Information. INLD was conceived as a specialised National Directorate responsible for regulating publishing and phonographic activities, including the registration of national production, the licensing of publishers, support to the book and record sectors, as well as the protection of copyright and related rights.

With the reorganisation of the State’s cultural apparatus and the establishment of the Ministry of Culture in 1987, by Presidential Decree No. 52/87 of 30 December, INLD came under the authority of this new ministry, aligning with the sector’s strategic objectives, which included promoting culture as an instrument for affirming national identity, unity and patriotic education, as well as developing initiatives to enhance heritage, artistic and literary creation, and international cultural exchange.

Given the political, economic and institutional context of the following years, the restructuring of INLD became necessary. Accordingly, in 1991, Decree No. 4/91 of 3 April revoked the 1975 Ordinance and approved a new organic statute for the Institute, reaffirming its responsibilities in promoting and regulating publishing and phonographic activities and protecting copyright, now with administrative and financial autonomy under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture.

In parallel, in 1976 the National Institute of Cinema (INC) was established by Ordinance No. 57/76 of 4 March, with the objective of organising, controlling and fostering the development of the national film sector. One of its landmarks was the creation of the programme “Kuxa Kanema – Newsreel”, which used cinematic language to promote civic education and information in outlying areas.

With the implementation of the Economic Rehabilitation Programme (PRE) in 1987, the State initiated economic liberalisation, leading to the gradual privatisation of functions previously centralised, including within the audiovisual sector. In this context, in 2000 the National Institute of Audiovisual and Cinema (INAC) was established by Decree No. 41/2000 of 31 October, with the mission of adapting State intervention to new technological and market challenges, strengthening the regulation and promotion of national audiovisual production.

The establishment of INICC, IP was grounded in the need to promote the development of industries within the cultural and creative sector, reflecting their capacity to generate employment, income and revenue, and to stimulate the country’s economic growth. These foundations were complemented by the need to appropriately structure the value chain generated by the cultural sector, and to enhance effectiveness and efficiency in the harmonisation of activities and management resulting from the merger of the National Institute of the Book and the Record (INLD) and the National Institute of Audiovisual and Cinema (INAC) into a single institution, encompassing the entire chain of cultural industries, creative industries, cultural expressions and functional creations.

The mandates of these institutes, together with certain functions previously exercised by the National Directorate of Cultural and Creative Industries (DNICC), currently the National Directorate of Arts and Culture (DNAC), and by the Provincial Directorates of Culture and Tourism, came to be exercised by INICC, IP.