2nd Pan-African Cultural Festival

Algeria Sun 31-05-2009

2nd Pan-African Cultural Festival
By Arabnews online

48 member states of the African Union (AU) announced their participation in the 2nd Panafrican Cultural Festival which will be held in Algeria from the 5th to the 10th of July 2009. 32 countries confirmed their participation by sending the lists of their delegations, indicated the Minister of Culture, Mrs. Khalida Toumi in Algiers.

Mrs. Toumi noted that in addition to Algeria and 48 member states of the AU, other countries which are home to African minorities, like the United States of America and Brazil, will be participating.

Exhibitions on African Vestimentary Art will be part of the programme and will be held at the hotel El Aurassi and the seat of the National Office for the Realization of Great Cultural Projects.

The minister indicated that four exhibitions are scheduled, namely an exhibition on ancient arts, another about the Sahara, an exhibition on architectures and a great exhibition show dedicated to African masterpieces, part of the African immaterial heritage classified by the UNESCO.

Mrs. Toumi announced the participation of 154 people in this category of cultural activity. Another exhibition devoted to craft industry will take place at the Palace of Culture, the minister added.

Kenyan artist Maggie Otieno.

^{Kenyan artist Maggie Otieno finalises her sculptures for the PanAfrican Cultural Festival to be held in Algeria in July}

Speaking of music, Mrs. Khalida Toumi qualified the programme of the festival as “gigantic”, with the contribution of more than 700 musicians. “Enticing” concerts are awaited. Notorious figures will be taking part, notably Youssou Dour, Selif Keita, Mory Kante, Has Menguellet, Cheb Khaled, Amazigh Kateb, Karim Ziad, Zehouania and others.

Concerts will be held at the esplanade of the Office Riadh El Fath and the open-air theatre, in particular those who are part of the programme of the International Festival of Gnaoui Music or the International Festival of Jazz. Street shows, will be arranged in the capital Algiers and its surroundings, 3 in Tipaza, 2 in Boumerdes and 1 in Blida, indicated Mrs. Toumi.

The minister said that a residence will accommodate writers and African and Algerian poets from the 21st of June 2009 till the closure of the festival. A collective book will be published on this occasion. Two other events are on the programme, namely an exhibition of 200 boards of comic strips and a contest of African comic strips.

Other activities are on the programme, notably a symposium on African literature, a conference on the African origins of Jazz music, a conference to examine the African artistic terminology, a meeting on African anthropology, a conference on Franz Fanon and other meetings on different themes, of which the financing of the African cinema, the colonization and liberation of African countries, the 1st Panafrican cultural festival in 1969 and the African theatre between tradition and modernity.

Concerning cinema, Mrs. Toumi indicated that cinematographic panoramas will be organized, among which a panorama in homage to some African scenario writers and another in homage to the FESPACO (Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou).

Two documentaries co-produced by Algeria and South Africa to examine the role of Algeria in the liberation of Africa_ will be screened at the time of the festival, the Minister of Culture noted.

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