Africa Week at UNESCO: Pan-Africanism and the rapprochement of cultures
Africa Week, from 25 to 28 May at UNESCO, will have Pan-Africanism as its theme this year, with emphasis on the rapprochement of cultures and the role of young people. As the Director-General of UNESCO, Irina Bokova, reiterated last month at the Organization’s Executive Board meeting, Africa is “an absolute priority” for UNESCO.
A series of events, conferences and exhibitions are planned at UNESCO in Paris, notably a conference and debate on Wednesday 26 May about building nation-states in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. The Director-General will attend.
A second conference and debate will be held on Thursday 27 May, on the outlook for African cultures. A third conference, “Indépendances, diaspora et jeunes” (Independence, diaspora and young people), will take place on Friday 28 May.
Three films will be shown during the week, from 6 to 8.30 pm: “Le fauteuil” (Tuesday 25 May); “Un homme chez nous” (Wednesday 26 May) and “Katanga Business” (Thursday 27 May). A cultural evening on Friday 28 May will close the week.
Ahead of Africa Week, a symposium, “L’Afrique dans la mondialisation : quelles chances pour la renaissance africaine?” (Africa and globalization: what opportunities for the African renaissance?) was held on 21 May at UNESCO.
These events provide an overview of activities carried out by UNESCO to support the African continent in its efforts to meet the challenges of development. They also represent an opportunity for the Organization to make a strong statement about its commitment to reinforcing cooperation with Africa.
In this context, the Director-General stressed that she would make sure that UNESCO’s actions for Africa were more closely aligned with the priorities of the African Union.