This is a call for poets to participate in a global event on 24 September, and to initiate events in their own cities. In particular, we would like to see greater participation by African poets and more African locations in the 100,000 Poets for Change project. We would also like to see more African poetry festivals, poetry organisations, groups and poets become part of the World Poetry Movement.
World Poetry Movement
The World Poetry Movement was founded in the context of the World Gathering of Directors from 37 International Poetry Festivals, held in Medellin, Colombia, between April and July 8th, 2011.
There they discussed the connection between poetry and peace, the reconstruction of the human spirit, the reconciliation and recovery of nature, the unity and cultural diversity of peoples, material poverty and poetic justice, and possible actions to take in favor of the globalization of poetry.
A month later, the World Poetry Movement has been joined by 77 international poetry festivals and 317 poets from 83 countries from all continents.
One of the goals is to include most of the strongest international poetry festivals, poets, schools of poetry and printed and virtual publications, to increase our mutual cooperation and thus energize the individual and collective voice of poetry in our time.
Recently the World Poetry Movement has been joined by the "100,000 Poets for Change" project, a bold initiative by poets Michael Rothenberg and Terri Carrión, in California, who have proposed the implementation of a worldwide poetic action, next September 24th, 2011 in 350 cities worldwide. See www.100TPC.org
The World Poetry Movement supports and will always support the thoughts, actions and measures that can contribute to world peace, the defense of all life on earth, the sustainable development of a new world, the restoration of beauty, dignity and truth, in the process of a persistent strengthening of poetry's presence in contemporary society worldwide.
Poetry is knowledge, reflection and enlightenment, liberation, contemplation and action, lightning, creative imagination and brotherhood, spiritual unity of individuals and peoples, past, present and future of humanity.
World Poetry Movement calls on all its members, poets and international poetry festivals, to plan, develop and spread poetic actions and simultaneous poetry readings, across the planet, September 24th, 2011, to consolidate our organizational process, making a formidable display of poetic power possible in the world, in hundreds of cities and villages on Earth.
We ask you to please inform us at worldpoetrymovement@gmail.com about actions you may initiate regarding this proposal :
Those not already part of the World Poetry Movement are invited to join. Please email worldpoetrymovement@gmail.com
WORLD POETRY MOVEMENT COORDINATING COMMITTEE
Peter Rorvik (South Africa), Bas Kwakman (Netherlands), Jack Hirschman (United States of America), Rati Saxena (India),
Alex Pausides (Cuba), Amir Or (Israel), Iryna Vikyrchak (Ukraine), Fernando Rendón (Colombia).
In May 2010, Nhimbe Trust, in partnership with the Bulawayo Arts Forum (BAF) hosted a two-day national seminar in Bulawayo to review the status and implementation of the National Cultural Policy of Zimbabwe.
After the seminar, Nhimbe saw the need for continued collective dialogue on how to address the challenges stakeholders in the arts and culture sector in Zimbabwe face, and began work with cultural scholars in conceptualizing the process of engaging the Creative Civil Society in Zimbabwe and in undertaking a comprehensive SWOT analysis of the sector in order to recommend strategies that could be taken to address challenges identified. Nhimbe secured financial support from MIMETA, the British Council; and technical support from the Observatory of Cultural Policies in Africa (OCPA) and Arterial Network towards undertaking this process.
The process culminated in the production of the “Zimbabwe Creative Civil Society’s Strategy in the Formulation of a Plan of Action for Arts and Culture. “ The Conference also mandated Nhimbe to provide further leadership in the production and implementation of a time-bound and comprehensive 5 year Creative Society Plan of Action for Arts and Culture in Zimbabwe.
For more information see full report: http://mimeta.squarespace.com/downloads/democratization/
‘Sit down and shut up’
13 July 2011 17h30-20h00
Apartheid and other repressive government have feared art, artists and the right of all people to enjoy free artistic expression.
The KwaZulu- Natal Society of Arts Gallery, together with local artist Bernice Stott, is hosting a Censorship of the Arts Public Seminar.
‘Sit down and shut up’ is an awareness raising event which will gather together eminent affected artists and art commentators as speakers in a seminar and discussion. It is aiming to reach the South African art community and the government to work together against Censorship.
The seminar will have five guest speakers, two of which are artists whose work has been censored. Zanele Muholi, has worked as a community relations officer for the Forum for the Empowerment of Women, a black lesbian organisation. The other artist is internationally renowned sculptor, Andries Botha.
The KZNSA Gallery’s seminar is partnered by the following organisations: Africalia, The Human Elephant Foundation, Durban University of Technology, Bartel Arts Trust, Art for Humanity, eThekwini Municipality and The Centre for Creative Arts.
‘Sit down and shut up’ will take place at the Durban University of Technology, City Campus at the Arthur Smith Hall.
For more information you can contact the curator, Bernice Stott on 031 209 8436 or 083 343 8994.
Poetry Africa and the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) are facilitating the participation of a contingent of African poets and musicians for South America’s legendary Poetry Festival in Medellín, Columbia. Please see following press release issued by the International Poetry Festival of Medellín.
Nobel Prize winner Derek Walcott
With 1992 Nobel Prize for Literature Derek Walcott attending alongside a significant delegation of African poets and singers, there will open, in 10 days’ time, the XXI International Poetry Festival of Medellín, convened and organized by the Prometeo poetry magazine, with the participation of over 90 poets from 50 countries of all the continents.
It will pay homage to the Spirit of Origin and to African poetry, as it was in the black continent where the human legend arose, and where the winged hearts of its griots breathed poetry into the heart of the species. During its twenty-first issue, the International Poetry Festival of Medellín will celebrate its homage to the spirit of Africa
Within the context of the XXI International Poetry Festival of Medellin there will take place the World Meeting of International Poetry Festival Directors, with the support of the Nuestra América Network of International Poetry Festivals and of the International Federation of Poetry Festivals.
The Festival will take place from July 2nd to 9th, 2011, in a country burdened with a painful history of over five decades of conflict, as recently acknowledged by its president Juan Manuel Santos. Poetry is the ambrosia feeding the spirits of our youth in a time of desolation, and it is the flame that rises to light the way to the future in a new country of reconciliation and understanding, of dignity, beauty and justice.
The XXI International Poetry Festival of Medellin will include 164 free events for the public in general, and is sponsored by the Medellin City Hall, the Medellín Council, the Ministry of Culture, Hivos, the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development (AECID), state-owned companies of Medellín, Poetry Africa, Confiar Caja Cooperativa, the Swiss Embassy, the Caipirinha Foundation, EAFIT, TeleMedellín and Coofinep.
The African delegation, with collaboration of Peter Rorvik (Poetry Africa, Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal), shall consist of the popular singers Madosini Latozi Mpahleni, Chiwoniso Maraire and Tania Tomé (Mozambique), and the poets Werewere Liking (Cameroon), Haji Gora Haji (Zanzibar), Shailja Patel (Kenya), Antonio Gonçalves (Angola), Lebogang Mashile, Pitika Ntuli, Iain Ewok Robinson (South Africa) and Rachid Boudjedra (Algeria).
The attendance of musician Pedro Espi-Sanchis (South Africa-Spain) has also been confirmed.
Ten Asian poets will be in Medellín in 2011: Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi (Myanmar), Amir Or (Israel), Jidi Majia (Popular Republic of China), Ban'ya Natsuishi (Japan), Zahreef Ahmed (Kashmir), Rira Abbasi (Iran), Hadaa Sendoo (Mongolia), Zakaria Mohammed (Palestine), Ataol Behramoglu
(Turkey) and Kamran Mir Hazar (Afghanistan).
Poets from twelve European countries will read their poems in this new edition of the Festival, headed by the Dutchman Cees Nooteboom, Julian Heun (Germany), Fernando Valverde, Elena Medel, Anna Aguilar-Amat, Tomàs Arias, J. M. Calleja, Pedro Enríquez, Kirmen Uribe (Spain), Agneta Falk (Sweden), Nikola Madzirov (Macedonia), Lello Voce, Carlo Bordini, Giovanna Mulas (Italy), Christian Ide Hintze (Austria), Sigurbjörg Thrastardóttir (Iceland), Niillas Holmberg (Finland, Sami nation), Endre Ruset (Norway), Raphael Urweider (Switzerland) and Iryna Vikyrchak (Ukraine).
Guests will be also joined by Australian Philip Hammial, American Jack Hirschmann, and Latin Americans Thiago de Mello (Brazil), Marco Antonio Campos, Aarón Rueda, Mariana Hernández, Sixto Cabrera, Roberto Arismendi (Mexico), Gabriel Impaglione (Argentina), Alex Pausides, Aitana Alberti, Waldo Leyva, Magia López (Cuba), Julio Mitjans Cabrera, winner of the La Gaceta - Prometeo Prize (Cuba), Rodolfo Häsler (Cuba-Spain), Marvin García (Guatemala), Louis-Philippe Dalembert (Haiti), José Mármol (Dominican Republic), Kwame Dawes (Ghana-Jamaica), Lucy Cristina Chau (Panama), Carmen Ollé (Peru), Faumelisa Manquepillán (Mapuche nation, Chile), José María Memet (Chile), Rodolfo Dada (Costa Rica) and Otoniel Guevara (El Salvador).
Over a thousand poets from 156 nations have already taken part in the Festival, and poets from Afghanistan, Myanmar and Zanzibar will attend for the first time
The World Meeting of International Poetry Festival Directors will address issues such as Peace and reconstruction of the human spirit, Interconnection and recovery of nature, Unity of the human spirit and cultural diversity of peoples, Material indigence and spiritual riches and Actions for the globalization of poetry, and attendance has been confirmed by representatives of 35 international poetry festivals:
Krytia (India), Teheran (Iran), Tokyo (Japan), Smyrna (Turkey), Qinghai (Popular Republic of China), Tel Aviv (Israel), Durban (South Africa), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Struga (Macedonia), Paris (France), Granada (Spain), Berlin and Bremen (Germany), Rome (Italy), Kiev (Ukraine), Oslo (Norway), Palabra en el Mundo (Argentina/Italy), San Francisco (United States), Trois-Rivières (Canada), Tabasco and Veracruz (Mexico), Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Havana (Cuba), Santiago de Chile (Chile), City of Panama (Panama), Medellín, Bogotá, Pereira and Pasto (Colombia), Quetzaltenango (Guatemala), San Juan (Puerto Rico), Valparaíso (Chile), San José (Costa Rica) and San Salvador (El Salvador).
It is expected that this Meeting will give rise to the bases for the creation of a World Network of Poetry Projects and Festivals.
There shall also take place the XV Poetry School of Medellin, which will hold 29 activities between courses, workshops and conferences, with free registration, which last year enabled the enrolment of hundreds of youths. A cycle of seven feature-length African films will also be shown, and a celebration held for the premiere of the documentary Resistance Cultures, directed by the Korean Iara Lee.
See: http://www.festivaldepoesiademedellin.org/pub.php/en/Intro/index.htmfor more details.
ZAM is an Amsterdam based magazine on arts & culture, politics & economy in Africa. It is rooted in the struggle against apartheid and colonialism. ZAM has built a network of over 500 African journalists, photographers, designers and artists worldwide. ZAM is launching an international, English language edition later this year. But you can ‘meet’ ZAM already and familiarise yourself with its content, look & feel.
Proposals for stories and photographic features can be send to the editorial team at editor@zam-magazine.nl. Visit http://ezine.zam-magazine.nl
Deadline for submissions: 15 July 2011.
The One Minutes Africa competition is a co-production of Townhouse Gallery and The One Minutes Foundation and is meant to specifically showcase the work of video makers in Africa.
The One Minutes (TOM) is a brand name for moving images that last exactly one minute. It fits well in the world of looking quickly, understanding immediately and it is a response to the influence of commercials, video clips and the increased affordability of camera’s, computers and access to Internet. The limited time frame forces the maker to think critically about what he/she would like to show us. The flexibility of the formula and the diversity of dissemination from the street to galleries, television and festivals make it an attractive and accessible contemporary art form for a broad audience.
This is a call for artists to submit their one minute videos for this competition.
There are 6 Categories to choose from:
1. Spoken word & sound: The art of language and sound, ranging from oral history to the sounds of the street.
2. In my backyard: What is it like where you live? What happens there? Give us a sense of the place and the goings-on that surround you.
3. Where history begins: With real people in real places, history begins. Express your ideas of time and experience, from ‘small’, personal histories to large-scale events.
4. Micro-commercials: Small companies run by passionate owners
5. Portraits: Even in a single minute, the essence of a person or object can be revealingly portrayed.
6. Privacy: What does privacy mean to you?
Videos in each category will be nominated for an award. Prize winners will be invited to the awards ceremony hosted by the Town House Gallery in Cairo, Egypt, this coming September.
The entry form and copyrights agreement plus all technical details can be found at www.theoneminutes.org. See also The One Minutes Africa Facebook page. Any questions? Email Devon Youngblood: devon@thetownhousegallery.com
Arterial Network will host its first annual continental conference on the African Creative Economy in September 2011, which will coincide with its third biannual conference. The aims of the conference are to provide a theoretical and statistical overview of the African creative economy as a basis for future interventions and advocacy purposes, and to identify and develop African expertise in this area.
Interested speakers are invited to submit expressions of interest in the topics listed below. While anyone is invited to submit such expressions of interest, preference will be given to African speakers who are based on the continent and who have the relevant expertise, experience or potential in these fields. Where necessary, Arterial Network may fund research and the preparation of papers on particular subjects.
Interested parties are required to submit:
a. a letter expressing interest in a particular theme (interest in more than one theme may be expressed);
b. a Curriculum Vitae (CV) detailing relevant expertise, your contact details, city and country of current location;
c. the methodology of the approach that will be taken in dealing with the subject (not more than one page) methodology?;
d. the names and contact details of two referees familiar with your work;
e. the language in which you will present (English, French, Portuguese and Arabic are the preferred languages);
f. an indication of whether you are a member of Arterial Network or not;
g. whether you will require funding to undertake research in preparing the paper or not.
Submissions are to be send to Espera Donouvossi at espera@arterialnetwork.org by 17 June 2011
The topics and formats are:
1. Keynote addresses (30 minutes maximum each)
1.1 An overview of the contemporary global creative economy in the context of global political and economic conditions;
1.2 An overview of the African creative economy;
1.3 Building international markets for African creative goods and services – the possibilities and constraints;
1.4 Building regional African markets for local creative goods and services – the possibilities and constraints.
2. Panel discussions (15 minutes maximum each, up to five case studies)
2.1 The contribution of creative cities to regional and national economies (actual case studies);
2.2 The contribution of arts festivals and events to national and regional economies (case studies of actual festivals).
3. Roundtable discussions (up to two presenters per theme; 20 minutes each)
3.1 The UNESCO Convention on cultural diversity and its relevance to the African creative economy;
3.2 An introduction to the African Union’s Plan of Action on Cultural Industries;
3.3 Developing cultural policy in support of the creative economy;
3.4 Culture and Development: what does it mean in and for Africa today?
3.5 The challenges of north-south cultural collaboration and exchange in the context of inequitable resource allocation and power relations;
3.6 Old colonialists, new colonialists: what BRICS could mean for the African creative sector;
3.7 The state and challenge of cultural statistics and creative economy research in Africa;
3.8 Creative industries in Africa: what conditions are necessary for their viable sustainability?;
3.9 Intellectual property rights from an African perspective and their relevance to the creative economy;
3.10 The challenges and possibilities of the emphasis on the creative economy to artists’ rights, freedom of expression and art for its own sake.
Suggestions for alternate or additional topics under the broad theme of the African Creative Economy are welcome, in which case, provide the same information as required above.
News from Nhimbe Trust by Josh Nyapimbi:
Thirty five (35) Zimbabwe’s leading creative sector leaders convened in Harare on 26 May to deliberate and adopt the creative sector’s National Plan of Action for Arts and Culture (NPAAC) for the next 5 years. The NPAAC National Conference was a culmination of three high profile Regional Consultative Meetings held nationally; to explore the National Cultural Policy of Zimbabwe and formulate and the creative sector’s Action Plan, which will inform and guide the creative sector in Zimbabwe. A total of 120 cultural workers participated in the consultative meetings nationally, and a further 500 were consulted through emails and other social media.
The main highlights of the NPAAC National Conference were a key note address on the Role Of Civil Society Organizations in Shaping the Creative Sector in Africa by Paul Brickhill; A SWOT Analysis of the Arts and Culture Operating Environment by Dudu Manhenga and Cont Mhlanga; and A SWOT Analysis Artists Mobility in Zimbabwe and Africa by Farai Mupfunya.
Key delegates at the Conference included Daves Guzha, Dr Susan Heins, Walter Muparutsa, Professor Hebert Chimhundu, Dr Jacob Mapara, Priscilla Sithole and Ericah Gwetai.
Professor Mbuyamba the executive director of OCPA was the respondent for the plenary discussion to deliberate and adopt the NPAAC.
A Steering Committee comprising of Daniel Maphosa (Chairperson) Virginia Phiri, Dudu Manhenga and Dr Jacob Mapara was set up to lead the implementation of the Creative’s Sector’s NPAAC. Nhimbe was mandated to continue its role of secretariat.
The immediate key priorities of the Steering Committee are to:
1. Inform and seek buy in (on the creative sector’s NPAAC born of the National cultural policy) from the Arts Council and the government’s Department of Art and Culture.
2. Inform UNESCO about the NPAAC and seek buy in through the new UNESCO country strategy. We are grateful to Professor Mbuyamba for recommending the NPAAC to UNESCO and facilitating the meeting.
3. Appraise our partners, British Council and MIMETA.
4. Finalise the NPAAC Document with technical support from Farai Mupfunya, Professor Mbuyamba and Professor Hebert Chimhundu.
5. Convene an Action Planning Retreat for the Steering Committee.
6. Launch the NPAAC
7. Rollout the NPAAC
At the end of April Basma El Husseiny from Cairo visited Norway and Sweden. Mimeta had set up presentations at different venues in Kristiansand, Oslo and Stockholm where Basma talked about the revolution, the role of culture and shared her thoughts on Egypt’s near future.
“It was the young and liberal democracy activists who started the revolution in Egypt. Quite soon the Salafist’s joined but the Muslim Brotherhood caved in later – it is not their revolution”, Basma told a huge audience in Kristiansand.
Cato Litangen and Basma El Husseiny in Kristiansand
El Husseiny is currently the managing director of Culture Resource (Al Mawred Al Thaqafy) and a UNESCO expert in cultural governance. The cultural activist was concerned with the attitude of the West:
“I have heard that the West fears religious fundamentalists will steal the revolution. I think that is a sad attitude. Egypt is an ancient nation but has never experienced democracy. Now we are giving it a serious try for the very first time. It doesn’t mean we are going to look like Europe after the elections in September; however we are starting a process now that will continue over the next few decades and slowly will make Egypt a better place to live”.
What are your biggest concerns regarding this process?
“We do have little time and a difficult process a head of us before the election in September. I would have preferred an extension so that the new political parties had time to organize and campaign”.
In Norway El Husseiny met with the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jonas Gahr Støre and several members of the Ministry and the Arts Council. In Stockholm Basma met with the Ministry of Culture, Swedish Arts Council and SIDA.
Pamberi Trust is a Zimbabwean art NGO that operates Book Café and the Mannenberg venue in Harare, stages 900 arts events annually and manages the widest-ranging arts development program in Zimbabwe. African Synergy Trust is an African cultural network started by Pamberi Trust, Johannesburg.
The dependency trap is dangerous.
Gradually, cultural development is turning towards partnership with creative ‘enterprise’ – that is the full gamut of non-grant funding income, creative economy, commercial resources and corporate linkage in culture , as an alternative to grant funding, which is spiralling headlong towards dependency according to Paul Brickhill, creative director at Pamberi Trust:
- The dependency trap is dangerous in Africa. State support to cultural advancement is weak outside South Africa. Without viable state support, while an art output in Africa is increasing, it remains patchy and fragile, evidenced by the emergence of arts festivals in the last decade, some of which have already collapsed (within 2-3 years). The signals are clear, too much art output and infra-structure in Africa is sustained by external funding, and when this reduces, art initiatives collapse.
Brickhill is addressing three questions in particular:
How does the ‘creative economy’ adopt strategies that sustain growth, where external funding is a source of expansion, and not the bottom line in survival? Can this ‘creative economy’ nurture the emergence of a generation of young artists, rather than sustain only the top 15% of established stars? What is the right linkage between ‘cultural space’ and democracy without compromising artistic integrity?
The Hybrid Partnership
Pamberi Trust represent the single largest arts program in Zimbabwe, however the NGO is not large or well-resourced. Its strength lies in innovation and strategic use of its resources. The level of output and audience development is achieved by a ‘hybrid partnership’ between a development NGO (Pamberi Trust) and two venues (The Book Café and The Mannenberg) which are currently 85% self-sustaining.
The gross profit from this commercial turnover is applied such that it effectively serves development outcomes. A formal agreement between Pamberi Trust and the commercial venues is necessary and a close relationship between the two, under the same management. The venues provide stages, rehearsal space, workshop and training facilities, office space, services, such as support staff, café space that is de facto the ‘artists meeting place’ free of charge for the artists supported by the NGO. This is funded by the commercial income from the venues.
- To conclude, venue operating expenses and fixed assets are applied to project outcomes. The venues themselves are not funded; however they operate currently at a 15% deficit, and this only as a result of economic collapse in Zimbabwe – we would normally expect the commercial operation to be entirely self-supporting, says Brickhill.
The Impact for Pamberi Trust and the Artists
Pamberi Trust, unencumbered by a large proportion of institutional and project overheads, is able to apply a greater proportion of its resources to projects. The hybrid system has proved resilient in extremely harsh conditions (the local currency, banking system, and much of the economy collapsed in 2008 while political crisis resulted in 4 million people leaving the country, including two-thirds of all professionals).
- The model has taken 13 years to fine-tune. It is unprecedented in Africa. It is challenging in terms of management, systems and some aspects of financing, but the results are indicative – Pamberi Trust has - at minimum – achieved three-fold increase in project output, artist facilities and support, and number of artists supported in projects, given the level of external grant funding to development. In other words, if Pamberi Trust did not have the support of the venues in a ‘hybrid’ relationship, project output would fall at least 60-75%.
In Pamberi Trust they now refer to the development a sustainable model for an African ‘creative economy’ as ‘Creative Africa’. For them, it is based around the hybrid partnership model, a pioneering model in Africa, which can already show that every dollar of grant funding received is matched by equivalent self-generated income and resources. The systems have been created over painstaking years but the results have proven to be fruitful and sustainable.
Agreement with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports Mimeta’s work and strategy. The parties entered into a frame-work agreement at the end of 2010, valid over a three year period. The agreement is geographically limited to Africa and the Middle East. The target groups are service providers to the arts- and creative sectors. The purpose of the agreement is to strengthen structures through organization, information and advocacy, through platforms and mobility and through the development of creative economies.
New partnerships
Since the beginning of 2011 Mimeta have signed agreements with KYA network (Mali), Busara Promotions (Zanzibar), Kuona Trust (Kenya), Nhimbe (Zimbabwe), Culture Resource (Al Mawred, Egypt) , Bayimba Cultural Foundation (Uganda) and FAME! (Malawi). We are also prolonging our cooperation with Art Moves Africa (Pan-African), ARTerial Network (Pan-African), APAC (Bolivia) and African Synergy (Zimbabwe and SA).
Collaboration Cecilie Melli and Basecamp Maasai Brand (BMB)
Mimeta visited BMB in the Masai Mara, Kenya last week together with profiled Norwegian designer Cecilie Melli. BMB was set up in 2003 to empower women in the Talek region of the Masai Mara, and to maintain and enhance the handicraft traditions and designs of the famous Masai bead works. The BMB initiative includes 118 women. Mimeta is participating in this by engaging Cecilie Melli to collaborate and further investigate into developing products targeting the Scandinavian market. Cecilie designed six products with BMB and these products will be available for sale from late May.
Culture and Urban Development
Nairobi City and Metropolitan are in the process to create a master plan, embracing the country’s 2030 vision, and making Nairobi a World Class City. This vision 2030 is limited as the role and possibilities from arts and culture has not been included. Between 21st and 25th of March, Mimeta and the GoDown Arts Centre with support from the Swedish Institute arranged a series of workshops with city council, local government, UN Habitat, artists, cultural organizations, creative industries to explore cultural sector relations to the development of the city. We invited the Culture Centre in Stockholm and the Swedish Museum of Architecture to participate in these workshops to share their experiences and how Stockholm and Sweden view the scope of culture and urban development. These workshops was designed and facilitated by White Architects who have an assignment from the GoDown looking to develop their premises. It was acknowledged that preserving cultural heritage buildings and supporting the establishment of a cultural zone could be two critical initiatives to place Nairobi as a world class city. The UN Habitat proposed to partner with the GoDown and White Architects to continue this conversation with Nairobi City and investigate if this process can be show cased at the World Urban Forum 2012.
Economy of Creativity
Mimeta has since 2009 partnered with the GoDown Arts Centre in the process ‘Economy of Creativity’ with the objective in deepening our understanding of the creative and cultural industries in Kenya and improve awareness of the sector amongst business leaders and government officials. This process has contributed to an initiative from the Kenyan ministry of Information and Communication recognizing the scope of the creative and cultural industries to stimulate entrepreneurship and job creation. The ministry has put together a Creative Economy Task Force with representatives from the media, film, animation, arts and music sectors in Kenya. The task force is governed under the Kenyan ICT Board, implementing and utilizing ICT infrastructure for development of the country. On March 23rd Mimeta met with the task force, sharing the experiences and learning’s from the process with the GoDown. The task force will be officially launched on the 6th of April in Nairobi.
Swedish members of parliament visit to Kristiansand & Mimeta
The cultural committee of the Swedish parliament visited Kristiansand and Mimeta in February 2011. The municipality and county have progressively invested in culture and arts both locally and through its partnership with Mimeta, which was the subject of interest for the cultural committee.
Events:
Aïda Muluneh exhibition
Mimeta have in collaboration with Belgium foundation Africalia, Vest-Agder County and Christiansand Arts association presented the expressive photo exhibition of Aïda Muluneh: Ethiopia: Past// forward. A hundred people turned up for the opening and the exhibition have received great reviews from the press. A smaller selection of this exhibition has also toured schools in Vest-Agder County (http://vaf.ksys.no/pub/vaf/main/?aid=9282&cid=567).
Sufi
Iranian artist Mahsa Vahdat and Norwegian producer Erik Hillestad have been translating one hundred Hafez poems into Norwegian. Forlaget Press (publishers) released the poems in both Persian and Norwegian language in a gorgeous book “Vinspeilet” which recently was awarded “The most beautiful book of the year” by Grafill – a Norwegian organization for visual communication (http://www.fpress.no/index.php?ID=Nyheter&counter=160).
The poems were performed by Mahsa Vahdat and Norwegian choir SKRUK. This collaboration was recorded and the CD “I vinens speil” was released by Kirkelig Kulturverksted.
Stunning concerts (“I vinens speil”) have been set up at several venues in Norway, among them during the International Church Festival in Kristiansand and on Lindesnes National Lighthouse museum. The performance has also been touring schools in Vest-Agder County (http://vaf.ksys.no/ksys/?eid=0&fid=0&kid=0&sid=0&lag=&hag=&cri=&typ=0&vie=prd&fil=&pid=9485&sam=8A25E135E31B5C297CDA9714C0887895#top_7092).
Where do we go from Tahrir?
Mimeta is launching a new concept named Mimeta Monologues where we will set up lectures with interesting guests from our partners. The first appearance will be presenting Basma El Husseiny – an arts manager and a cultural activist who has been involved in supporting independent cultural projects and organizations in the Arab region for the past 20 years.
Basma is a UNESCO expert in cultural governance and was previously the Media, Arts & Culture Program Officer for the Ford Foundation in the Middle East and North Africa, and the Arts Manager of the British Council in Egypt. Basma has also worked as a theatre director, script-writer, organizer of cultural events and arts critic and reviewer. She is also active in the women's rights movement in Egypt and has initiated and participated in campaigns to enhance women's participation in public life. Basma El Husseiny is currently the managing director of Culture Resource (Al Mawred Al Thaqafy), a regional non-profit organization that aims at supporting young artists and writers, and stimulating cultural exchange within the Arab region and with the world. She has also co-funded and is a trustee of the Arab Fund for Arts & Culture, an independent regional foundation.
Under the theme “Where do we go from Tahrir?” Basma El Husseiny will be telling stories from the days of the revolution, how she sees the participation and role of “the creative class” – and how she view the Arabic/ Egyptian democratic movement in the process forward.
Kick Café, Kristiansand Tuesday 26th April at 21:00
Litteraturhuset, Oslo Wednesday 27th April at 20:00
Södra Teatern, Stockholm Thursday 28th April at 19:00
The UN Resolution on Culture and Development has been adopted on 20 December 2010 "which emphasizes the important contribution of culture for sustainable development and for the achievement of national and international development objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
This represents a major breakthrough at the international level in so far as there is no explicit mention of culture in the MDGs. This new resolution will encourage stakeholders to more fully integrate the cultural dimension into development processes thereby ensuring their sustainability.
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs supports Mimeta’s work and strategy. The parties entered into a frame-work agreement at the end of 2010, valid over a three year period. The agreement is geographically limited to Africa and the Middle East. The target groups are service providers to the arts- and creative sectors. The purpose of the agreement is to strengthen structures through organization, information and advocacy, through platforms and mobility and through the development of creative economies.
Mimeta will achieve this in particular through organizing the culture practitioners’ move towards better living conditions by strengthening the sector locally, nationally and regionally, to improve mobility of artists through supporting the cultural networks in Africa and the Middle East, to improve platforms’ resources and strengthen artistic representation at major events, and foster cooperation between culture and the business sector.
Mimeta sees this agreement as a solid recognition of our past efforts and support to a focus on partnering with successful culture managers to make results in improving “the living condition of the arts”. Mimeta will continue contributing to development, to human rights and democracy and to the eradication of poverty.
Something seems to change in the international and, particularly, in the European debate on development and development policy. During the past decades, culture has been having, unfortunately a marginal role in the development policies of international institutions and donors. Still today, culture is too frequently the last item of long policy wish lists and is often left out of the development policy strategies due to lack of funding. However, in the last years, the European Union (EU) has been taking steps towards a redefinition of the relation between culture and development, to the point that for the European Union, culture is now increasingly recognized as an important part of its main development policy.
Launching a new publication on the synergy between culture and development came as a genuine impulse of the European Commission and the Belgian Presidency, that were highly encouraged by the significant latest achievements made in upgrading the cultural dimension.
The booklet contains a contribution from Mimeta on African Tour Circuit (African Synergy). Download the booklet here: http://www.culture-dev.eu/pdf/fr/BD-Unesco-EN-DE.pdf
I work carefully and imperceptibly below the surface when it comes to freedom of artistic expression. Deep down I stand by those who want to break it but remind them of realities above the surface. At the same time, the water becomes shallower. This is my duty as a producer.
(Faisal Kiwewa, Bayimba, Uganda.)
Poster A3 for uploading
Poster A3 for uploading
The short version
Mimetas vision is to give GIVE PEOPLE THEIR RIGHT TO FREE CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS, created on free terms and presented by independent institutions.
Our mission is to support and protect those who want to enhance a culture by aesthetic or intellectual means.
By both our vision and mission Mimeta highlight the impact arts have on developing open societies, including the culture itself and the political spfere.
On the strategic level Mimeta is acheiving results by supporting organisations and individuals who work on behalf of the arts, to improve the sectors´ position on rights issues, in political and legal matters, on professionalism and skills, the distribution of the arts and - in the end - the sustainability of the sector.
We call them the service providers to the arts.
For more information on our priorities and strategic initiatives
Nadia Cherif was given the task of evaluating Mimeta's program for cultural sector development (2020-22. It was finalized in november 2023, and gave good input for next stage. Read here
