Creative industry: Unleashing Iran’s soft power

Since 10 years ago, creative industries in Iran have turned the corner where things are looking up for the formation of economic activities concerned with the generation or exploitation of knowledge and information. 

The creative industry is a set of autonomous sectors, whose activities are all geared towards the production of intellectual products and cultural values based on human creativity, also inducing an economic process. 

The industry forms a bridge between art, culture, business, and technology. It is a dynamic sector which covers many domains, such as architecture, industrial design, fashion, gaming, media and cultural heritage. 

According to state officials, more than 2,000 creative companies accredited by the government are currently operating in 17 fields in Iran, including animation, games, educational technology, toys, architecture, tourism and handicrafts.

A look at the size of the creative economy reveals the stunning significance of this often overlooked sector - at least in Iran.

According to UN estimates, the creative industries account for 3.1% of global GDP, generating annual revenues of over $2 trillion and accounting for nearly 50 million jobs worldwide. 

This is equal to the share of steel and oil in the world economy.  

The cultural and creative industry is an emerging industry with innovation and creativity at its core. Iran is well-placed to take a leading role in it by taking advantage of its human resources and rich cultural infrastructure in art, storytelling and design. 

In fact, the country’s legion of specialists is already making forays into most fields of creative industries.

Some fields such as animation, stationery, toys and games, which are among the leading fields of creative industries in the country, are more advanced than the others according to their ecosystems. 

Nevertheless, the general approach toward the sector is not entrepreneurial. In Iran, a purely value-based or spiritual view of culture has generally led to the allocation of subsidy budgets and grants, which has created expectations of sustained support in the field.

As a result, creative and cultural industry activists have developed a habit of mainly pursuing financing through government credits, instead of embracing prevalent methods of the sector’s self-sustenance in the world.  

The formation and prosperity of the cultural economy in the heart of the society causes the consistency and durability of this sector, with hopeful signs also emerging in Iran.

In the winding alleys of southern Shiraz, an Iranian artist has taken it upon himself to turn his rustic neighborhood of crumbling, uninhabited houses into a cultural and tourist hub through vibrant paintings and carved relief faces.

Narenjestan has become a new magnet for tourists who often visit Shiraz for its highly celebrated historic architecture, lush gardens and revered poets.

Over the years, Adel Yazdi has turned the long-neglected neighborhood walls into a vivid visual tapestry telling the stories of the people living there. His art showcases a different side of Iran's artistic heritage that goes beyond the conventional focus on Persian or Islamic architecture.  

In recent years, Iranian-made video games have also grabbed international headlines.

Despite sanctions, video gaming is becoming a big business in Iran which is filled with some of the most hard-core gamers in the world.

For the fledgling gaming industry, Iranian game designers often draw from their country’s rich culture of storytelling and mythology to inform their own games.

The online multiplayer game, Seven Quests, is based on the “Shahnameh: The Persian Book of Kings,” an epic poem from ancient Persia that tells the story of the hero Rostam, a Hercules-like figure.

The lack of copyright and patent enforcement, however, is putting brakes on the industry's growth and harming domestic content.

For instance, the quick and easy download access to foreign games and animations, apart from their possibly malign cultural impact, undermines domestic producers.

As a result, the share of the creative economy - put at below $4 billion - is less than one percent, where this figure could reach $10-12 billion provided that numerous prospects are appropriately tapped. 

For the record, Iran’s recent membership in the BRICS group of emerging economies has provided the country with a new opportunity to accelerate its development of the sector.

Today, BRICS countries are home to roughly 3.3 billion people — over 40% of the global population. The BRICS economies also account for an estimated 37.3% of global gross domestic product based on purchasing power parity. The countries, which are mainly located in the east, have many shared cultural values.  

Last year’s addition of Iran, the UAE, Ethiopia, and Egypt to the bloc whose original founders are Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa has given it a new historical weight and opened a vast ground for cultural exchanges.

Their common values and traditions, such as the importance of the family institution, the prominent role of religion as well as the existence of numerous ancient and historical monuments, are among their most notable affinities.

Given the technological and industrial capacities of the BRICS countries, Iran can take advantage of the opportunities for the development of its creative industry.

Iran’s creative and cultural heritage is a treasure trove of centuries of mesmerizing creativity and innovation befitting its cause to boost the country’s soft power and influence around the world.

This invaluable asset is a powerful tool to promote the Iranian culture and identity, create jobs and drive economic growth, and bring about social transformation.  

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