The cultural policy of Uganda, established in 2003, links the arts to social development, writes Inge Ruigrok in an online series on cultural policy in non-Western countries. The Ungandan ministry of Gender, Labor and Social Development has integrated culture into the national plan to combat poverty, she says. It promotes cultural industries as a source of income for the poor and encourages the use of indigenous know-how. The ministry emphasizes decentralization, encouraging local authorities to formulate their own cultural policies, based on the national guidelines. There's a Culture Office in each of the 56 districts that make up Uganda. See the Power of Culture Web site for Ruigrok's stories on cultural policy in Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Nigeria, Namibia and Angola. [LINK]