Les Rencontres Musicales Africaines (REMA)
Identity, creativity and commitment are the values of La Cour de Naaba. Founded in 2007 to promote music in Burkina Faso, this association wishes to "make music a true vector for sustainable and visible social development on a daily basis. "
The Rencontres Musicales Africaines project is defined by its collaborative values and is based on a genuine sharing of "best practices". It advocates the promotion of gender equality and equal opportunities and also wishes to act in favour of the employability of young people. These annual business-oriented meetings are organised around a topical and strategic theme for the sector, as illustrated by the REMA 2022 topic "African music, a new ecosystem: players, professions, tools. "
"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.
"Afropolis", virtual performance space
The idea of this organised virtual performance space was born out of the pandemic. In April 2020, the annual "DanceGATHERING" dance event was threatened by the Covid crisis. Instead of cancelling it, the association decides to maintain it in a virtual edition. The event was a resounding success, with 10,000 visitors from 300 cities around the world. Consequently, the "Afropolis" project has become a reference platform for Afro urban culture and a resource centre for educational and creative content from various backgrounds. This digital artistic offering that defies distance, reduces its carbon footprint, aims to broaden its audience and increase interactivity, also functions as a laboratory where the performing arts are combined to create new cultures.
Overview of expected productions
- Registering over 100,000 subscribers
- Reach new digital audiences and generate new interest in creative works online
- To have significant growth in the creative community
- Facilitate access to creative and cultural content regionally and internationally
- Encourage participation in the creation of new cultures regionally and internationally
Focus on Creative Culture Support Foundation
A genuine creative incubator, this association acts as a arts and innovation skills factory. Creative Culture Support Foundation is a committed organisation that has become a recognised driving force in the Nigerian creative scene over the years.
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.
"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".
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.
"YOBAAL", Access to the Gambia's creative industries
While the Gambian economy is largely dependent on tourism, the "Yobaal" ("gift" in Wolof) project aims to contribute to the development of the creative market through its e-commerce platform. ACE Communications Executive plans to exhibit up to 100 companies in the creative industry selected according to the interests and habits of international consumers. This matchmaking between local creative industry professionals and prospects allows artisans to promote and sell their products beyond the tourist season. In order to support creativity within the creative industries in the Gambia, "Yobaal" plans to give priority to businesses run by young entrepreneurs and designers.
Overview of expected productions
- provide global visibility for Gambian artisans
- générer des revenus durables grâce aux ventes e-commerce
- contribute to the increase in quality of products and services manufactured in the Gambia while guaranteeing customer satisfaction
Focus on ACE Communications Executive
ACE Communications Executive, a strategic communications and public relations company, has established the first Cultural Centre for the burgeoning creative industry in the Gambia. With a wide range of consultants, since 2009 it has established itself as an expert in visibility for companies, NGOs and state institutes.
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.
"The Arts Bridge", Support for the professionalisation of the craft sector
The Arts Bridge project aims to preserve, professionalise and promote the work of weavers in the North-West of Ghana, a region where the local economy depends heavily on this craft. By seeking to collect and transmit this know-how, pool tools and design new patterns, The Arts Bridge hopes to professionalise the art of weaving and thereby protect the livelihoods of communities. A dedicated digital platform will present a database of contemporary craftsmen and artists, offer teaching modules and an online shop. These digital drivers will contribute to raising this Ghanaian craft tradition to the level of a world-renowned art.
Overview of expected productions
- registration of 3 weaving collectives with the World Crafts Council each year
- organisation of an annual weaving festival
- training of 5 master weavers (with more than 5 apprentices and more than 5 years experience). They will in turn train 50 weavers per year for two years
- hosting 5 contemporary artists in residence
Focus on Nubuke Foundation
Based in Accra since 2006, this NGO's mission is to promote, record and preserve the visual arts and culture of Ghana. Over the past 15 years, the Nubuke Foundation has propelled the careers of 150 contemporary artists. Based in Wa (North West Ghana) since 2010, it works to develop and enhance the tradition of tape weaving.
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.