SAMRO Place hosts the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity / Launch of the U40 Africa Network

This two day event will bring cultural practitioners from across the country and the continent together to discuss the implications of the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity for the cultural sector in South Africa and the continent more broadly. Jointly convened by the Department of Arts and Culture and Arterial Network, the event will also include the launch of the African chapter of a dynamic network of African cultural managers, researchers and activists.
 
A wide cross-section of civil society, business and governmental representatives have been invited to the event, with a view to these parties informing how the Convention is translated into a South African and African context in ways that yield real benefit and bring government and the cultural sector into more meaningful relationship. While the focus of the Conference is on the South African context, a number of key individuals from across the continent have also been invited to participate in the proceedings with a view to both informing the development of creative solutions to common problems, and building stronger and mutually supporting relationships between practitioners across the continent.
 
International and continental participants who will be involved in the 2 day event include: Piatã Kignel (Brazil), Anna Steinkamp (Germany), Abel Dabula (Mozambique), Ali Daou (Mali), Ammar Kessab (Algeria/France), Asrani Gopaul (Mauritius), Calixte Angama (Ivory Coast), Carole Karemera (Rwanda), Salio Ndour (Senegal), Farai Mpfunya (Zimbabwe), Fungai Tichawangana (Zimbabwe), Josh Nyapimbi (Zimbabwe), Moussa Dabone (Burkina Fasso), Yosra Frawes (Tunisia), Laloui Habiba (Algeria).
 
The conference will take place on the 20th and 21st of October 2011 at the SAMRO Auditorium, 20 De Korte Street, Braamfontein, Johannesburg.   The music rights organisation’s  CSI's arm, the SAMRO Endowment for the National Arts (SENA), is among the partners in this initiative.