Posted on Monday, 4th February, 2008
Realising MDGs through Culture
By John Owoo : Koudougou, Burkina Faso
A four-day seminar that brought together several organisations and institutions from different countries with a common goal of contributing to the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) through culture ended last week in the Burkinabe town of Koudougou. Organised and funded by Mundial Productions, a cultural outfit based in Tilburg, The Netherlands, the seminar sought to find effective ways of building cultural entrepreneurship, artistic development and find ways of creating a North-South and South-South collaborations in the arts as one of the tools for oiling the engine of growth in developing countries.
Opening the seminar, Dr. Stanislas Bemile, a director at the Burkinabe Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Communications stated that the contribution of culture to the development of African and other developing economies cannot be overemphasised. He said that his country has put in mechanisms to reinforce the promotion of the Burkinabe culture throughout the world.
Burkina Faso has over 100 regional, national and international cultural festivals, 800 traditional music groups, 650 traditional dance groups, 20 modern dance groups and 51 contemporary music bands. The director stated that the festivals, which are multi cultural in nature, have managed to carry high the rich Burkinabe cultural heritage.
Addressing the participants, most of whom belong to a network known as United Cultures for Development, the director of Mundial Productions Jan Drissen, said his organisation has over the past several years been creating awareness of development and social activities in a number of developing countries through culture.
He added that Mundial Productions would support internships, exchange programmes, capacity building and organisational capabilities of partners in the network. Mundial Productions would also ensure effective monitoring and put in place means of measuring impact of activities in the various countries and communities within its network.
Members of the network are Noyam African Dance Institute (Ghana), Benebnooma Association (Burkina Faso), Sarakasi Trust (Kenya), Music Crossroads (Zimbabwe, Malawi, Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia) and Ngaari Laaw (Senegal).
Others include Cultural Development Trust (Republic of South Africa), Vietnam Performing Arts Agency (Vietman), Bridge Tuzla (Bosnia Hezegovinia), Kalakar Trust (India), IBISS (Brazil), Fontys Mundial World Community and Mundial Productions (The Netherlands).
Over the past decade, Mundial Productions has been collaborating with many organisations, institutions and groups in Africa, Latin America and Asia who are actively involved in the field of culture and development.
It has developed ongoing partner relations with eleven organisations in order to support artistes and groups while informing Dutch audiences about its international cooperation and the contribution of culture to the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals.
Following an approval from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Development Cooperation, Mundial productions has since 2007 executed a programme dubbed “Mundial on Tour”, which entails artistic and institutional support for artistes, artistic groups and other cultural sector organisations in developing countries.
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