Brussels, 31/03/2009 (Agence Europe) - “Culture and Creativity, Vectors for Development.” This is the them of an international colloquy the European Commission is organising on 2-3 April in Brussels (Egmont Palace) as part of cooperation between the EU and the 78 countries of Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP), development partners linked through the Cotonou Agreement. This will provide an occasion for actors in the cultural world, as well as political decision makers and donors to collectively think about how they can in practice reinforce the ACP/EU partnership to make culture a lever for development in ACP countries. Louis Michel, the European Commissioner for development and humanitarian aid, Jan Figel, the Commissioner for education, training, culture and youth, Amadou Toumani Touré, president of Mali, Abdou Diouf, Secretary General of French speaking countries, figure among the participants.
This event has three goals: raise awareness among ACP and European decision makers about the importance of culture for development - particularly the importance of culture industries for the socio-economic development of a country: promoting the exchange of ideas between arties and professions in the cultural industries from ACP and European Union countries, create an exchange platform between actors from this sector and political decision makers for identifying new action instruments for facilitating sector development, better market access and expanding the impact on local economies.
Debates will take place on the role of culture in national policies; the role of local authorities and civil society in culture and decentralised cooperation; interaction between the public and the private sectors in obtaining funds for culture; cultural policies and access to regional and international markets; creative management priorities.
To raise public awareness in Europe about the wealth of ACP cultures, cultural events will be organised in fringe meetings. These will include a fashion and music show, “Music and images from African, Caribbean and Pacific Countries”, a concert for development (open air and free) “African Women's Voices” and the screening of African films. Information: (http: //culture-dev.eu). (A.N./trans/rh)