_The Creative Wealth of Nations_ action, (as noted earlier). And it can also be used to tackle superstitions. On the latter, one of the ironies of economic growth today is Asia’s economic acceleration: thousands of miles away, it is contributing to the extinction of African elephants and rhinos.

In Vietnam, for example, the superstition is that rhino horn has medicinal properties — there are none. Furthermore, as status symbol, it is ground up, mixed with tea or simply snorted to induce an experience dearer than cocaine.<sup>195</sup> In China, ivory is a longstanding symbol of wealth and status. Tackling this crisis does indeed require heightening such measures as combating militias and illegal cartels involved in this tragedy and enacting full-fledged game protection. But changing the myths and mindsets that fuel this demand is also key. The arts can help. As such, the WBG could,

- Engage the performing arts in the struggle to change mindsets, especially in those countries where the demand for ivory and rhino horn is prevalent. Specifically, the WBG could build upon the example set by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP): UNEP is “currently working with its Goodwill Ambassador, actress Li Bingbing, and the City of Shanghai to bring the issue of ivory poaching to the attention of the public.”<sup>196</sup> If such initiatives (or their variants) help curb such deadly demand, then there is no reason why they should not be replicated and scaled up.

# **3) Directly Support Performing Arts-Related Businesses**

In the early 2000s, the World Bank spent some USD$321,700 to help develop the music industry in Africa. The project planning and feasibility studies were conducted in five African countries: namely, Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Kenya and South Africa. The proceedings from this project are documented in the Bank’s Development Economics Research Group on International Trade Report, and in the book, <u>Poor People’s Knowledge. Practical exercises in which musicians in</u> Senegal (for example) engaged in workshops like learning the basics of copyright are discussed later under intellectual property. This was the first time the World Bank engaged in such a musical project. But this area is largely dormant in the Bank’s activities. Therefore,

- The WBG could directly fund capacity building, establish or revive recording infrastructure and build or renovate theaters or performing arts clusters. At the outset, this could be applied in those select countries where such initiatives provide a feasible development option.

Working with IFC and other partners, the WBG could convene monetary and advisory services to develop concrete arrangements, arrangements that benefit local arts-related businesses, and the like. Many countries moreover have film and other cultural industries that need capitalization. In addition to funding, advisory services — they could be informed by the new Systematic Country Diagnostic — are key, as many countries often take the creative sector for granted. As shown in the economic model of the music industry (figure 1), these may include direct and indirect activities. The idea is to engender indigenous job opportunities and foster sustainable development via the performing arts.

> 195 Elizabeth Kolbert, “Save the Elephants” _New Yorker,_ July 7, 2014, accessed July 7, 2014, <u>http://www.newyorker.com/talk/comment/2014/07/07/140707taco_talk_kolbert.</u>

> 196 _Elephants in the Dust – The African Elephant Crisis,_ UNEP, CITES, IUCN, TRAFFIC (2013), accessed July 7, 2014, http://www.cites.org/common/resources/pub/Elephants_in_the_dust.pdf.

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