Based on the observation that age-old ways of sharing knowledge and values are gradually being forgotten in favour of rapid urbanisation and the rise of social media, the association “Promotion des Arts au Mali” (Promoting the Arts in Mali, PAM), also known as “Culture en Partage” (“Shared culture”), is dedicated to supporting cultural creation and sharing it with as many people as possible, especially the younger generations.
The work of Culture en Partage consists of bringing together figures from the cultural sector (theatre, dance, music, visual arts, publishing, etc.) and giving them international exposure. Providing employment for culture professionals, making African creation more accessible to as many people as possible and helping to showcase African cultures are just some of the association’s goals.
Its projects include La Maison des Solutions (The House of Solutions), set up in a cultural centre in Bamako, which is best described as a hub for cultural creation and technological innovation.
The two key actions resulting from this project are the Musée initiatique (“Museum of initiation”), which is aimed at cultural institutions and is part of the movement to present African artworks by going beyond the scope provided by traditional exhibition design (through the use of virtual reality, for example) and radio drama, an incubator for audio creations in African languages broadcast on radio and web-radio stations.
Founded in 2019 by Aicha Chighaly, the Mauritanian company ARDINE works on promoting and preserving intangible oral and traditional heritage. Working hand-in-hand with the authorities, it draws up recommendations to enable identity-based, organisational and societal values to be better taken into account.
As a seasoned artist and avid traveller, Chighaly quickly became aware of the importance of museums in preserving heritage and the history of identities. The result was the ARDINE museum and festival, both the fruit of the ART’DUNES project.
These two spaces for expression, one focused on heritage preservation and the other on showcasing traditional artistic creation, are united by a desire to ensure that Mauritanian cultural memory lives on.
The association has already been very successful, with some one hundred women and 300 young people trained in different crafts and the making of instruments, including the ardine, the t’beul and other percussion instruments.
The Association pour le Développement Local et la Protection de l'Environnement (Association for Local Development and Environmental Protection, ADELPE) has set itself the goal of contributing to the promotion of Mauritanian cultural and natural heritage through cultural and educational activities organised in Goural and the surrounding area.
It was not by chance that the town of Goural was chosen as the hub for the NGO’s work: there is already a museum here, opened in 2016, which requires some support in order to improve its services.
In addition to developing the museum through the acquisition of works and objects, the project plans include an annual cultural festival, the organisation of museum tours and development of the website dedicated to its activities, which will also offer virtual tours. A wider audience will be able to follow all these actions on social media.
ARTS PLURIEL is a non-profit cultural association that works throughout Niger to promote activities relating to the production of cultural works and events in ideal conditions for the emergence of new talent in the fields of arts and culture.
The project “Sah’Elle” is an initiative of the Africa Cup of Slam Poetry in partnership with associations from affiliate countries (Niger, Burkina Faso, Mauritania) to promote freedom of expression and combat violence against young women through oratory art.
What is Label Cuisine's goal? To diversify food habits by allowing people to discover new or reworked recipes, while renewing their enjoyment of reading!
This agency was born out of two observations. First, the Nigerien population is becoming less and less accustomed to reading. Second, Nigeriens eat too much fat, sugar and spice. Drawing on these observations, the agency set itself the aim of contributing to preserving health through a balanced diet, while also promoting local produce.
What better response to this dual issue could there be than a cookbook? In hard or digital format, it is simple and accessible in order to suit all audiences.
“Les assiettes de tubercules” (roughly “Plates of Tubers”), published by Edilivre in 2020, is one of the two publications by Label Cuisine and covers all of the agency’s aims: simplicity (the recipes use few or no modern tools and/or suggest a traditional alternative), accessibility (recipes written in simple French to make them easy for all readers to use) and sharing (knowledge, techniques and the prepared dishes).
Fashion and art have always been closely linked, and this connection formed the starting point for the company NYH Concepts, which aims to showcase them in northern Nigeria and even further afield. The ultimate goal: to make the state of Kaduna Africa’s one-stop destination for art and fashion.
The Kaduna Fashion and Art Exhibition (KAFART), which is already in its fourth year, meets several objectives: to present crafts as a traditional art form that transcends time and celebrate it through an exhibition that will showcase woven textiles, embroidery, sculpture, tie-dye and other techniques.
To top it all off, workshops and masterclasses will be organised alongside the exhibition in order to share artisanal techniques with up-and-coming young creatives.
The Association KILE in Mali aims to promote training and creation in the fields of cinema, audiovisual and digital by encouraging the emergence of young talents and innovative creations. The Association KILE hopes to become a centre of training and artistic excellence in digital art in Bamako.
The “CINE SAHEL” project aims to bring together young filmmakers from the Sahel countries for a training and film screening programme. The films will be shown in public spaces in northern Mali, followed by debates, and a digital platform will be created to enable the Sahel countries to view them on social media.
The Association Magg'ando, based in Dakar in Senegal, is a space for artistic and cultural production bringing together multi-talented artists and dancers from 10 African countries. It aims to contribute to Africa’s reputation through the power of dance.
The “NU FECC’ATTE” project aims to create a space for dialogue between artists and audiences, to help build the artistic and teaching skills of up-and-coming dancers from the Association Magg'ando.
The project encompasses several activities, such as sharing experience with apprentice teachers at Magg’ando, movement and self-expression workshops, as well as a show and other artistic creation resulting from the workshops held over the previous months.
Since 2015, the Kanarimagik label has been producing educational and cultural resources for young people, their families and their education providers, in paper or digital format. Kanarimagik helps to advance education and Senegalese culture through the use of fun media such as drawing, comics and animated videos, in order to share knowledge in various fields.
The “DIGITOONZ AFRIKA 2023” project aims to showcase Senegalese comics. It includes the creation of a space dedicated to digital comics (La Maison de la Bande Dessinée et de l’Image) and professional training for key players in the sector. The project is seeking to modernise the Senegalese comics sector by also creating a “Webtoon” platform (online portal forcomics/manga).
ASSIB' ARTS Togo is an artistic and cultural association founded in 2017, which specialises in promoting African dance heritage and teaching art to young people. Its main aim is to help professionalise young names in dance and to raise awareness about the importance of protecting and promoting this heritage.
The Festival des Rencontres Chorégraphiques de Lomé, FA'ARTS, aims to professionalise young Togolese and African dancers by providing training and artistic residencies. The expected results include the training of 30 young artists and dancers, the creation of 5 dance shows and the broadcasting of over 15 professional shows in 5 Togolese towns.