Stories from Mali

With the support of Mimeta three books are now published at the La Salihenne publishing - inspired from the rich and diversified well of Malien stories. From everyday life - to kings.  

TOUAREG 1973-1997
By Sidi Alamine Ag Doho

This book is the story of the long walk experienced by nomadic Tuaregs impoverished by successive droughts. Confronted with the harsh laws of wandering ( at  home and outside), the hard living conditions and  also the  thinning of solidarity and friendship too briefly lived,  a young boy crosses the borders of neighboring countries, without ever reaching a normal childhood. Become adult now, he witnessed the turbid of the political leaders and the rebellions that resulted from.
Going through the undecided lines of this book, the reader feels heartily very touched since so great is the injury of this child and his will to survive.  

The Author of the book:
Sidi Ag Alamine Doho is director of the school of  Tarkint, north of Gao. In early 1990 he was a typing agent to the “éditions de sahélienne”. He took the  advantage of this very short time of his busy life to start writing short stories about the Tuareg and tell his years of wandering.

IL N’YA QU’UN SOLEIL SUR TERRE (There is only one sun on the earth)!
(Kel-Adagh  Touaregs’ tales, proverbs and riddles) 
By Mohamed Ag Erless

The Kel-Adagh people live in the "Adrar Iforas" in the Kidal region, city of the same name located about 1,600 km from Bamako, the capital of Mali.
The Adagh-which means "mountain", is renowned for the abundance and quality of its oral literature. This literature is the backbone of the traditional education which aims to build the child in the image of typical Haman being.
In Adagh, tales, proverbs, riddles, poetry, music ... do not belong to any particular social stratum, but to all of them.

The Author of the book:
Mohamed Ag Erless was born and raised in Adagh. Social scientist, currently director of the Cultural Mission of Kidal Es Souk, Ag Erless is a pure product of the Institute of Social Sciences of Mali, where he started his career thirty years ago.

ABUBAKARI  II (EXPLORATEUR MANDINQUE)
(ABUBAKARI  II,  AN EXPLORER FROM MANDE)
By Gaoussou Diawara

The author achieves in this book the synthesis of more than twenty years of research on the Mandingo emperor Abubakari II, who, in 1312, voluntarily relinquished the power and then explored the limits of ocean. His fleet would have anchored on the coast of Brazil.

Abubakari II was one of the pioneers of the era of great discoveries ... Before Christopher Columbus, Magellan and Vasco de Gama.

The Author of the book:
Gaoussou Diawara was born in Ouelessebougou, some 80km in the south of Bamako. He completed his primary and secondary schools in the country before obtaining a doctorate (PH. D Specialty Drama) in Soviet Union. He is author of several award-winning work created for the stage or studied in schools and universities in Mali. Gaoussou Diawara is a Knight of the National Order of Merit in France, Knight of the National Order of Merit of Mali, UNESCO Prize for poetry and Cross-African drama prize.

9 out of 90 million Euros for Culture in EC's ‘Investing in People’

From Decision C (2010)3094 of 18 May 2010
Download Action Programme: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/documents/aap/2010/af_aap_2010_dci-people.pdf

In 2010 the programme will focus on the governance of the cultural sector, so as to support the implementation of effective cultural policies and the development of enabling institutional, regulatory, economic and professional environment, essential to foster access to culture and creation, promote cultural diversity and support the sustainable development of the cultural sectors.

Support to the governance of the cultural sector will be addressed through two complementary actions: Firstly, the programme will support the structuring and the strengthening of the cultural sector through capacity-building of cultural actors and structures, including public and private entities and civil society organisations, so as to enhance their own governance and their role in national governance of the cultural sector. The call for proposals will promote cooperation and exchange of experiences between different countries and regions in this regard.

Secondly, the programme will support developing countries in their efforts to improve the governance of the cultural sector through an expert facility to be managed by UNESCO. The expert facility will provide demand-driven technical assistance to ministries and public institutions with responsibilities in the cultural sector or influencing sector governance, as well as to local authorities, for the development of cultural policies and public initiatives enhancing the role of culture as a vector of sustainable human and social development. The initiative brings an important contribution to the objectives of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions

Identified actions:

(1) A call for proposals 'Supporting capacities in the cultural sector' will be launched in 2010,

with a budget of EUR 7 000 000 (Annex H).

(2) A EUR 1 000 000 contribution agreement (joint management with an international

organisation) will be signed with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organisation (UNESCO)

Bringing culture and business together

Joy Mboya with representatives from SI and the Foreign MinistryThat culture plays an important part in the development of society goes without saying. Yet it often seems to be left in the wake of other sectors. Who should be primarily responsible for cultural life – the state or civil society? How can we bring the business sector and the cultural sector closer together? These were two of the key questions discussed at a seminar at the Stockholm Cultural Centre in June.

The seminar was organized by the Norwegian foundation Mimeta in collaboration with Creative Force, and specially invited guests were Joy Mboya from Kenya and Mike van Graan from South Africa. The questions under discussion were then taken on to the Tällberg Forum in Dalarna.

In Sweden, the state has prime responsibility for cultural life, whereas in South Africa as in many other African countries it is civil society. In South Africa, cultural workers have come together in their own networks. One successful example is the Arterial network, headed by dramatist Mike van Graan as secretary-general. This pan-African network brings together 150 organizations from 30 countries. Joy Mboya, who is a member of the Arterial executive, is also head of a private institution, the GoDown Arts Centre in Nairobi, which is funded by such bodies as the British Council and the Goethe Institute.

“But just as important as financial support are heart and brain exchanges with other cultural workers around the world,” she says. “We need more capacity development and we survive by networking and by joining workshops.”

Joy Mboya and Mike van Graan also took part in Rework the World in Tällberg, where the discussions on culture’s place in society continued. One of the themes there was how the cultural sector can create jobs and promote growth. In September, a follow-up meeting will be held at the GoDown Arts Centre on the theme of culture and enterprise under the heading The Economy of Creativity, again in collaboration with Mimeta and Creative Force.

A text from the last newsletter from Swedish Institute (http://www.si.se/Svenska/):

Culture and development talks in centre of Stockholm

On 1st of June Mimeta, the city of Stockholm along with the GoDown Arts Centre (Kenya) and the Arterial Network (Africa) shared their experiences on the role of cultural sector in development of society. About 60 persons involved in cultural exchange, Swedish arts and culture administration participated in discussions at the Culture House situated in the centre of Stockholm. The event also got coverage in Svenska Dagbladet – one of the main newspapers in Sweden. (Read article here (in Swedish)).

In the evening – our partner – Swedish Institute (SI) – brought us to dinner at Moderna Museet – where we continued our discussions with representatives of Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SI and Sida.

HIFA 2010 – Not just a pretty face

Haitian singer Emeline Michel at HIFA. Photo: Margerie VacleHarare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) is an annual festival showcasing a program of music, theatre, fine arts, dance and spoken word.

“Given that Zimbabwe has for a long time been staging a drama before a worldwide audience, it’s amazing that anyone felt it necessary to mount an arts festival. But someone did 10 years ago, and the Harare International Festival of the Arts (HIFA) has been running ever since. Perhaps when the world is looking in your direction and counting down to economic and civil collapse, the only thing to do is to build a giant stage and start thinking the impossible.” The Observer, 4 May 2008.

By Hege Aasgaard, Mimeta

HIFA began in 1999 and since then has taken the Zimbabwean and Southern African arts scene by storm. The Festival showcases the best of local, regional and international performances and fine arts. The festival turned Harare life upside down with energy and life from April 27 to May 2 at venues in and around the capital. Most performances took place in the beautiful Harare Gardens Site where there were four stages, workshops studios, a poetry café and a huge variety of food and drink outlets. This year’s HIFA opened with an amazing Zimbabwean performance of classical work directed by La Fura Dels Baus from Spain and performed by more than a hundred local singers and dancers. Throughout the week everything from opera to reggae, from ballet to street dance, and clever theatre plays were on the program. All of the shows creating a happy and relaxed atmosphere. The diverse audience were dancing to Suluman Chimbetu and Senegalese music icons Xalam. People were embracing Emeline Michel dubbed the “Joni Mitchell of Haiti”, and celebrated Jamaican dub poet Yasus Afari. Local poet Comrade Fatso had conceptualised MOTO! An explosive project uniting some of Southern Africa’s most powerful voices taking the Southern Africans through their painful journey of struggles and injustices towards a place of hope and future.

The Royal Norwegian Embassy presented Women Calling – a beautiful blend of dance and music that embraces jazz, African traditional, Norwegian Folk, improvisation and the notion of universal womanhood. The British Embassy and British Council gave us The Magnets, CULTURESFRANCE and Embassy of France presented the wonderful Salif Keita from Mali, and Pamberi Trust was funding the Moreira project. The programme was amazing, encompassing more diversity and innovation than any previous HIFA.

Despite two elections, cholera epidemic, inflation and the transition to the American dollar HIFA is still going strong. Each festival has a theme and this year it was ABOUT FACE, signifying amongst many things; hope, transformation, new beginnings and optimism, a change of attitude and above all, the facing and acknowledgement of the past while looking forward to a brighter future. According to founder and executive director Manuel Bagorro, the theme ”offers an exciting opportunity for artistes, for community leaders and for all creative thinkers" a platform for meaningful conversations about opposing points of view.

"All of us artists involved felt as if we were given a window into what could be. As fireworks went off over the heads of thousand of dreamers we all dreamt of a peaceful country without tortured bodies and burnt homes. For the one week of the festival we believed. For one week we had a window into the future. And it’s beautiful" Local poet Comrade Fatso ‘s Blog, CNN.com

Sufism visit to Iran

Iranian artist Mahsa Vahdat and Norwegian producer Erik Hillestad have been translating 100 Hafez poems into Norwegian. Forlaget Press (publishers) will be releasing the poems in both Persian and Norwegian language in a beautiful book funded by Mimeta and Kirkelig Kulturverksted (KKV). Additionally a CD with Sufi poems will be released.

See: http://mimeta.squarespace.com/mimeta-work/sufism-visit-to-iran.html

Girona: Role of Culture in the MDG rev.

Mimeta was one of the delagates at the Culture and Development Seminar held in Girona under the Spanish Presdiency of the EU. The main objective of the seminar was to integrate culture into European development policy, as a means to attain development objectives.

Seventeen European organisations working in the field of culture and development (including Mimeta) had prepared a joint declaration (download) for the Girona Conference. The initiative was taken by British Council - by the Benelux/ EU-office.

The seminar focused on 3 themes: The role of Culture in the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - Economy and Culture - Cultural Governance and Cultural Diversity. Download conclusions and position papers

1st meeting for European Cultural Institutions working in Sub-Sahara

Mimeta is part of a group working with issues coming up at the European Commission policy meeting on Culture and Development in Girona, Spain, 4th to 6th May this year. The group agreed that collective power should be greater than individual and that there is a lot of room to identify opportunities to work together in the future. The statement is based on initial mapping of the priorities of each organisation; discussions on intentions and the sharing of ideas, knowledge and experience. The meeting also identified collaborative ways forward and concrete paths to work on. There will also be a jont statement og intent at the EC-meeting in Girona.

Suzanna Owiyo, promo in Norway

Suzanna Owiyo - Photo: Linda LieThe celebrated Kenyan singer, Suzanna Owiyo, visits Norway for the Mimeta launch. Last time on Norwegian soil - she at attended the Nobel Peace Prize Concert - for laurate Wangari Maathai. Main reason for Suzanna coming this time is to present her work to the music industry, festivals and press. She is also part of the Imagine Africa CD with the track "Tich en Tish".

For more information, see Imagineafrica website
And buy directly on the web: For sale here!

First Imagine Africa CD on the market

In cooperation with Mimeta the Norwegian record company Kirkelig Kulturverksted has produced a CD which is the first in a series that, put together, will offer a piece of the musical picture of the African continent.
It presents music by artists and music producers in East Africa. These are artists who continue to live in their own countries, seeking their artistic identity and inspiration there. They mix traditional African elements of style, rhythm and tonality with European and American popular music, keenly aware that the music that has developed in the West has travelled a long and circuitous route.

For more information, see Imagineafrica website
And buy directly on the web: For sale here!

CinemAfrica industry Filmforum

Pratik Vithlani, MimetaDuring the CinemAfrica Filmfestival in Stockholm, starting 24th February, Mimetas head of the Business Development Program - Pratik Vithlani - will moderate the Industry Filmforum session, focusing production and distribution of African Cinema.

Pratik has during the past year worked closely with the GoDown Arts Centre in Kenya, supporting the development of the creative industries in the region, to strengthen entrepreneurship and supporting the growth of businesses within arts, culture, film, music. Pratik has a background from management consulting and private equity industries.

Imagine Africa, the campaign

Mimeta has taken onboard the Imagine Africa campaign from the former Culture Initiative of Strømme Foundation. We coordinate activities, web-based communities and run the website. Imagine Africa is a campaign to Promote and Strenghten African Arts. It contributes to the communication of African Arts, expressions of reasoning and creative industries.

The starting point was the opening remarks Imagine Africa by Breyten Breytenbach at the ARTerial, Conference on Vitalizing African Cultural Assets, on Gorée Island, Senegal, in March 2007. (See the full text on www.imagineafrica.org).

How to use the stamp? See: The Culture Resource website

Cultural cooperation between Egypt and Norway

Egypt and Norway have agreed to initiate cultural cooperation in some specific fields, including the intangible cultural heritage, creativity, arts and culture for children and youth and literary translation.

See:
http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/kkd/Whats-new/nyheter/2009/cultural-cooperation-between-egypt-and-n.html?id=548648&epslanguage=en-GB

http://www.regjeringen.no/upload/KKD/Kultur/Conclusions_Roros_March2009.pdf