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UNESCO - MONDIACULT 2022: Africa raises its voice for a more robust and resilient cultural and creative sector
MONDIACULT 2022 will stimulate global public policy dialogue on culture for sustainable development to advance the free exchange of ideas and knowledge through the promotion of cooperation between countries.
This large-scope meeting brought together a wide range of stakeholders of the cultural and creative sector throughout the region, with more than 40 ministers and representatives of Ministries of Culture – including Namibia and the Democratic Republic of Congo as vice-president and rapporteur respectively – as well as 4 representatives of continental organizations and regional economic communities, 30 international and regional non-governmental organizations, 2 development banks and more than 40 national organizations. These actors have redefined the immediate and future priorities in terms of cultural policies to bring the voice of the continent into the reflection of a renewed vision on culture for sustainable development. More than 500 participants were connected during the two days to intervene and follow the live event.
Culture, today, expresses itself and develops in a globalized context with evolutions and rapid mutations. This has an impact on our continent and on the conditions of creation, distribution and diffusion of cultural goods and services, which are still weak and limited.
Africa is currently facing multiple upheavals: from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the digital transition and the positioning of culture in a regional market of 1.2 billion consumers. The discussions highlighted convergences on these common issues which bring opportunities for culture. Participants recalled that it is essential to strengthen multilateralism on a continental scale in order to take advantage of these new opportunities. There was a common desire to find African responses to certain shared challenges and to benefit from appropriate mechanisms in the coming years.
As we celebrate 40 years of recognizing culture as part of development and specifically sustainable development, we are called upon to make references to our successes and challenges which we have encountered as a continent in the process of integrating culture as part of our development frameworks.
Participants highlighted the continent'’s priorities, challenges and opportunities as well as emerging issues, but also made recommendations for strengthening multilateral dialogue on cultural policies, reaffirming the role of culture in sustainable development and building a more robust and resilient sector that responds to current issues.
The challenges that we have faced in recent years, mainly in the context of the Coronavirus pandemic, imposes a sustained reflection not only for the resilience of the sector, but also to renew creativity. The cultural sector in Africa has enormous potential, which has enabled it to cope and even contribute actively through artists, creators and initiatives to the fight against COVID-19.
Among the many other priorities underscored by participants include the pivotal role of culture in societies for forging national and local development pathways, the strengthening of intellectual property protection frameworks, the development of creative industries (notably through the reduction of the digital divide), increased artistic mobility across the continent, the improvement of mechanisms for the conservation and promotion of culture and local heritage.
The discussions were particularly marked by a strong and unanimous pledge to ensure the restitution of cultural property as a cornerstone of cultural identity with the firm commitment of African States to cooperate to federate efforts towards a unified positioning of Africa on the international scene.
This was the third of five regional consultations planned between December 2021 and February 2022, after those held for Europe and North America (December 13, 2021) and Asia-Pacific (January 11 and 12, 2022), in preparation for the UNESCO – MONDIACULT 2022 World Conference on Cultural Policies and Sustainable Development.
Join the conversation!
As an open and participatory process, UNESCO welcomes all actors of the cultural and creative sectors to join the conversation in the run-up to MONDIACULT 2022.
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