The AWA Programme held its 2nd Summer School in Accra

Launched on 15 August, the second edition of the ACP-EU Culture Programme – AWA Summer School will be held until 25 August 2022 in Accra, Ghana. This edition aims to consolidate the construction of a performing cultural and creative ecosystem in West Africa through synergies, interactions and networking between the participants themselves as well as with the different cultural systems in the region. The 15 laureates of the structuring fund, from 11 West African countries, are present. This strong participation shows the interest of cultural operators for these long training courses.

The opening ceremony took place on 15 August at the Alliance Française in the presence of representatives of the Ghanaian Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the European Union Ambassador and members of the consortium led by the Institut français and the Kôrè Cultural Centre in Ségou. The Minister of Culture and Francophonie of Côte d’Ivoire also took part in the event. The keynote speeches insisted on the relevance of the AWA Programme with regard to the needs for funding, capacity building and networking of West African operators and creators. The speakers also urged the beneficiaries of the Programme to be rigorous in the implementation of their projects.

The issue of state cooperation between West African countries was also addressed. This cooperation is still confronted with language barriers between English and French speaking countries. The Ghanaian and Ivorian ministries of culture wished to launch a joint initiative to overcome these obstacles.

As in 2021, the pedagogical method implemented for this edition is based on the Maaya entrepreneurial model developed by the Kôrè Institute of Arts and Crafts in Ségou to the satisfaction of the beneficiary operators.