Jenny contributes to Arterial Network’s African Creative Cities Programme

Jenny Mbaye has been invited to participate in the General Council of Arterial Network held on October 28th and 29th, in Harare (Zimbabwe) in order to accompany as well as provide advices on the project, African Creative Cities Network (ACCN). Drawing on the pilot experience of “Ségou Creative City” in Mali, and conceived over a two-years period (2016-2018), this programme aims at encouraging and developing advocacy, capacity-building and networking initiatives to strengthen local authorities’ approaches to arts and culture in African urban environments.

Based on partnerships between civil society and local authorities, the ACCN provides both an endogenous opportunity and framework as well as an informed continental support to contribute to the development of policies, strategies and programmes for arts and culture in African cities, and hence towards their sustainable development. While allowing local civil society organisations to submit an application, the programme has now successfully welcomed four cities in its process, which will all launch their vision and action plan in 2017: Harare (Zimbabwe, Southern Africa); Nouakchott (Mauritania, North Africa); Pointe Noire (Republic of the Congo, Central Africa); and Victoria (Seychelles, East Africa) .

Arterial Network’s main objective is to facilitate partnerships within civil society, beyond national borders and between African and international partners to develop a sustainable creative sector. As such, the network plays a key role in propelling the African creative agenda on the world stage. Besides, the input of Arterial Network is often sought after by major international platforms on topics related to arts, culture and development, such as its recent contribution to the UNESCO Global Report on Culture for Sustainable Development.