The day pays homage to the industries creating 29.5 million jobs worldwide.
The World Creativity and Innovation Day was established by the United Nations to raise awareness about the role of creativity and innovation in all aspects of human development.
The day is celebrated in 92 countries and in South Africa, Alchemy Inspiration is hosting an online #IAMCREATIVE_IMBIZO themed ‘A journey into the neuroscience of creativity for practical innovation.’
According to the UN, creativity and innovation, at both the individual and group levels, have become the true wealth of nations in the 21st century.
A part of the day is focused on paying homage to industries responsible for creating 29.5 million jobs worldwide, and play a significant role in alleviating poverty.
The UN website says “The creative economy – which includes audiovisual products, design, new media, performing arts, publishing and visual arts – is a highly transformative sector of the world economy in terms of income generation, job creation and export earnings.”
While the World Creativity and Innovation Week (which leads up to World Creativity and Innovation Day) website posted that their mission is “to encourage people to use new ideas, make new decisions, and take the steps towards making the world better through creative thinking.”
The UN explained that there may be no universal understanding of creativity and the concept is open to interpretation from artistic expression to problem-solving in the context of economic, social and sustainable development.
“Culture is an essential component of sustainable development and represents a source of identity, innovation and creativity for the individual and community. At the same time, creativity and culture have a significant non-monetary value that contributes to inclusive social development, to dialogue and understanding between peoples” the UN said.
