Mon panégyrique, mon identité culturelle
The mission of the Humanist Writers Association of Benin is to make writing, books and reading tools and channels for socio-cultural development in Benin and Africa. It aims to become the leading book organisation in Benin, impacting at least 50,000 people by 2025 through various actions.
The "Akô" is an African custom from oral literature, a series of words of a laudatory nature that recounts the origins and achievements of a person, family, ethnic group or clan. In the face of modernity and industrialisation, this Beninese tradition is under threat. To safeguard it, the project intends to identify, collect and publish (books and CDs) clan panegyrics and train 30 young storytellers and slammers (15 women and 15 men) in composition and declamation.
"Maremusica", production and distribution of music from Cape Verde
Highly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Cape Verdean cultural industry, and even more so its independent music industry, is in danger of disappearing. To save this popular heritage, Maremusica proposes to revive traditional music in Cape Verde by relocating the entire production chain to the archipelago. From identifying new talent to the creation of labels, including the opening of recording studios and the organisation of tours, this project involves the creation of around a hundred jobs (musicians, technicians, communication, digital, etc.) and guarantees the safeguarding and revival of the popular treasure that is Cape Verdean music.
A look at planned productions
- Production of 3 albums: an established artist in the Cape Verdean musical tradition; and two young talents, male and female
- Production of a major work of traditional Cape Verdean music (Mornas) with the Symphony Orchestra of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, from Portugal
- Creation of digital platforms and uploading and monetising online content
- Creating jobs in the sector and ensuring income for artists and their families
- Attracting new investors
Focus on Maremusica, Produção, edição e distribuição musical
Founded in 2016 by musician and writer Mario Lucio, former Cape Verdean Minister of Culture, Maremusica's main objective is the creative and financial independence of Cape Verdean artists, the protection of traditional music and the discovery of new talent.
"La NEUF", training, creation and production
The Malian cultural industry offers a plethora of stakeholders but is cruelly lacking in scriptwriters, costume designers and other entertainment professionals without whom works cannot exist. In response to this shortage, "La NEUF" (Nouvelle École Usine et de Formation) offers a system of training, both face-to-face and at a distance, including workshops, masterclasses and internships for dialogue with professionals. This proposal for training in the performing arts will ultimately lead to the creation of new shows to be presented during a tour of 8 cities, already established by the association. Acte SEPT also intends to involve communities in order to establish a sustainable and culturally endogenous funding mechanism, a factor in sustainable development.
A look at planned productions
- Creation of a digital platform for training
- Establishment of 16 workshops on the performing arts professions
- Creation of 8 plays
- Distribution of the 8 plays in the 8 cities of the Sirabo network
- Creation of a partner network
- Organisation of a festival
Focus on Acte SEPT
According to Acte SEPT, the project leader, "everyone must be able to participate in the cultural life of their choice and exercise their own cultural practices within the limits imposed by respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. " Driven by this vision, the association has been working in Bamako since 1994 and has been moving to the rhythm of its Festival du Théâtre des Réalités since 1996.
"De l'Homme vers l'Homme", contemporary dance
Specialised in the field of contemporary dance, the Don Sen Folo association anchors its project in the transmission and dialogue between ancient traditions and contemporary gestures. Its distribution in public spaces increases the visibility of the artists' work among the public and local authorities, and is also a good way of getting around the difficulties of distribution in traditional infrastructures, the networks for which are often lacking in this region. In order to improve the production of African dancers and choreographers and to promote this art form at national and continental level, "De l'Homme vers l'Homme" will focus on strengthening artistic skills, activating South-South cooperation, and setting up an African network for contemporary dance in public spaces.
A look at planned productions
- Training of 14 young artists in dance and choreography
- Choreographic residencies in public spaces (2 months) involving 32 artists
- Presentation of the artists and their work in the online catalogues of the residencies and on the Numéridanse TV website
- Production, recording and broadcasting of contemporary choreographic works in public spaces
- Production of a "Guide to good practice in contemporary dance in public spaces in Mali".
Focus on Don Sen Folo
The Don Sen Folo association has been working since 2010 on the issue of access to culture, formerly in the Kalaban Coro district of Bamako and currently in the rural commune of Bancoumana. With the firm belief that Art and Culture can become the economic engines of tomorrow's society, the association works to make the work of artists known and understood by the population.
Togo Art Connection
Arterial Network Togo is a dynamic network of committed artists, cultural activists, associations and cultural and creative institutions. Its mission: to promote and defend cultural diversity through an organisational framework of national operators and stakeholders from all sectors of the arts and culture.
By bringing together international and local stakeholders in the performing arts for the first time via a (physical and digital) platform for networking stakeholders in the performing arts sector, the Togo Art Connection project aims to strengthen the production of quality artistic creations in Togo, to further engage local audiences in a dialogue with the performing arts and to grant more economic and structural independence to the Togolese cultural scene.
SOMETHING by Something We Africans Got
April27 is an independent publishing company and arts management consultancy that promotes and supports African art, culture, education and excellence through the SOMETHING WE AFRICANS GOT review and the magazine SWAG high profiles.
After 5 years of existence, 14 issues of the review and 7 of its magazine version, "Something We Africans Got" has become an alternative space, a space for exhibitions dedicated to the moving image, to the rediscovery of African cinema, to dialogue and the development of critical thinking. This project materialises the continuation of the exploration of the Arts of Africa and the Black World and the cultural links between the different countries of the continent and the rest of the world.
Basketteuses de Bamako
The NAMA Company keeps ancestral traditions alive, ensuring the survival of the art of puppetry and offering young people the opportunity to work in the cultural sector. Among its training courses, some are specifically aimed at women, a first in Mali where the art of puppetry was traditionally reserved for men.
The "Basketteuses de Bamako" project seeks to increase the number of women artists in Mali and to develop their contemporary artistic capacities through professional training, awareness-raising and mediation with the public. The project aims to offer a new mixed and popular artistic practice, an art that restores the traditional know-how of Malian women by innovating it through the practice of juggling.
Remembering our Legends: They left gifts behind: Can we bridge the gap?
The Academy was created in 1995 to preserve, enrich and develop the national cultural heritage of Sierra Leone in the field of music and performing arts. It provides an advanced level of instruction in both music practice and theory, as well as in conducting and directing performances.
Remembering the Legends' initiative is to nurture and encourage the artistic talents of today with a view to their future professionalisation. By introducing the public, especially the younger generation, to the little-known works of former musicians, playwrights, composers, poets and other artists, the project aims to awaken the interest of citizens in the performing arts, and to bring about a reconsideration of the cultural and creative sector as a viable route to a full or part-time career.
Art is Devel@pment
ADPP-GB works to support and empower the most vulnerable populations in Guinea-Bissau. Adapting to the reality of the country and the needs of its communities, the NGO has developed and implemented projects in 4 principal sectors: education, health, rural and community development.
The aim of the "Art is Devel@pment" project is to provide quality moving image education and creative support for existing and emerging artists who would not otherwise have access to technical or financial support to develop their entrepreneurial initiatives. It will also contribute to the digital transition of the cultural and creative sector for a wider distribution of works. Thus, through the arts, the project will work to combat extreme poverty, always with a view to inclusion and gender equality.
"Les Arts-Liances", pan-African contemporary theatre platform
This project responds to a difficulty in distributing theatrical and choreographic works in Africa, while the public's enthusiasm for these performances is still growing. The aim is therefore to create and trace a professional touring circuit for productions that will enable arts performances to tour regularly and meet their audiences. Thus, the "Arts-Liances" project promotes synergy of action between 15 performance spaces in 5 partner countries (Côte d'Ivoire, Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo) and encourages co-production, the sharing of best practices and the programming of works created. With an eye on sustainable development, the project aims to be inclusive. It aims to mobilise artists and build audience loyalty.
A look at planned productions
- creation of 15 theatre and choreographic performances
- 180 performances
- consolidation of skills for 75 artists, 30 performance technicians and 30 employees of the performance spaces
- strengthening of technical resources of the 15 partner venues
Focus on Sokan Théâtre
After 20 years of activity, Sokan Théâtre is a cultural association recognised for promoting the arts in general and the performing arts in particular. An organisation in constant evolution, it favours and develops collaborations between artists from the South and the North. Through its achievements and in line with its objectives of inclusion, Sokan Theatre is the initiator of the Pan-African Women's Dramatic Writing Workshop "Femmes en scène".