The association SIKOTA aims to showcase African art and culture through dance, by promoting the practice of contemporary dance and the visual arts, along with intangible cultural heritage, and by fighting for the professionalisation of artists. It also contributes to the social integration of artists, economic development and the promotion of entrepreneurship and the cultural industries in Africa.
The project consists of selecting 10 semi-professional young women to take part in a training, research and creation residency, followed by a broadcast of the performance created in schools, cultural centres and government, non-government and foreign institutions. A business model will be implemented in order to make the resulting show profitable.
La Fabrik is a project that aims to sponsor different art forms and professionalise the arts sector, particularly stage arts, by supporting creation, production and dissemination. The goal is to integrate artistic practices, particularly theatre, into daily life to make them accessible to everyone, to showcase heritage and to encourage emancipation and fulfilment.
The “Fabrique de fictions” (Fiction Factory) seeks to combine theatre with urban heritage in the suburbs of Lomé. The project also aims to decentralise cultural activity by holding writing workshops and arts events and showing theatre performances in the suburbs to make art more accessible and reach isolated audiences.
“If you can’t go to the cinema, the cinema will come to you” – this is the raison d’être of the ATCNA (Association Togolaise du Cinéma Numérique Ambulant or Togolese Association of Travelling Digital Cinema). This association was founded in 2013 with a triple objective: to provide training in cinema professions to Togolese people living far from the capital, to produce awareness-raising films and to give the most isolated populations access to film screenings.
The project enables 20 Togolese participants, selected mainly from regions without access to quality training in cinema professions, to take part in a workshop to create short films lasting 15 to 30 minutes. These films will then be taken on a national tour of 30 screenings organised in the country’s most isolated rural areas, as well as in schools. At the end of the tour, they will also be broadcast on local Togolese television channels in order to reach a wider audience.
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.
The Association AFRICA UNITE is a Burkinabe organisation that works in the fields of academic guidance, professional and cultural training for young people and the organisation of cultural and early learning activities for children.
The project of the Association Africa Unite aims to boost the circus arts sector in the Hauts-Bassins region. It includes four steps: a training session for 10 teachers, art-based action across 3 isolated sites, the production of educational documents and the presentation of group performances at the International Festival of Circus Arts.
The Association Sèna Street Art, also known as ASSART, aims to make art accessible to all by promoting street culture. The association brings together young, committed artists in various artistic fields such as graffiti, visual arts, music, dance, photography, video and digital arts.
The Ecolo Street Art Bénin project is part of the EFFET GRAFF international street art festival and aims to raise awareness and educate children about the Sustainable Development Goals through street art.
Taster and teaching workshops will be organised for children from isolated areas in order to raise their awareness of the key themes of sustainable development and climate change.
Théâtre MAYTON PROMO is an association founded in 2000, dedicated to the production, promotion and dissemination of cultural and literary assets. Its aim is to generate cultural entrepreneurship among young people and support professional cultural stakeholders with their training.
The project “Digital'Art, Pratiqu'Art au Bénin” aims to boost artists’ artistic and managerial knowledge and skills in order to offer quality services and reach populations without regular access to such services.
To do this, a theatre and ballet troupe will be established and will perform in 10 villages of the municipality of Zè. 25 artists will also receive social media training in order to promote their productions.
Since 2009, the project by the Windepkpe association has centred around preserving Benin’s textile and clothing heritage. The ultimate goal is to showcase Benin’s artistic potential, preserve its heritage, share its expertise and make its culture a real driver for economic and social development.
To showcase this rich textile heritage, the association organises the “Koubourou Fashion Days”, an event that highlights Beninese woven pagnes or wrappers, which are emblematic of the country’s textile traditions.
This Conservatory is a cultural industry in its own right and meets a dual objective: to help the people of Benin reclaim ownership of their textile and clothing heritage through the Museum of Textile Art and encourage reproduction and sales through the craft space, to ensure that these cultural treasures are never forgotten.
The Fondation Zinsou aims to provide solutions for the lack of artistic practice and overcome a lack of awareness of contemporary art. This work meets a dual objective: to support artists and help the public to become accustomed to visiting exhibitions and museums. Among its various achievements, in 2013 the association founded the first contemporary art museum in tropical Africa, and also works on producing and holding exhibitions, organising artist residencies, as well as a host of other initiatives.
Convinced that everything begins at a very young age, the foundation aims to help children become familiar with artworks and try out different artistic activities, with a view to contributing to their cultural awareness as well as uncovering future talents. The “Petits Pinceaux” (“Little Paintbrushes”) workshop is the result of this conviction, aimed at children aged 5 to 13, which gives them an introduction to contemporary art through free creative workshops run by cultural educators and artists.
In order to overcome the obstacle of inaccessibility, the foundation has set up the “cultural bus”, a vehicle acquired thanks to support from sponsors, which provides free transport for pupils of over 300 schools.
“Sete Sóis Sete Luas” (Seven Suns Seven Moons) is a Lusophone and Mediterranean festival organised in 30 towns in 12 different countries to promote the diversity and originality of musical cultures. The association aims to create original artistic productions involving Cape Verdean musicians and to promote international mobility for these musicians.
The project consists of creating 4 cultural centres dedicated to protecting, promoting and disseminating traditional music on all the Cape Verde islands. 16 musicians (4 per island) will be trained to manage the centres as cooperatives and offer programmes featuring traditional music, gastronomy, teaching workshops and cultural tourism.