Africa Week at UNESCO from 25 to 29 May

Paris, 18 May

“Africa Within its Cultural and Sports Dynamics” is the theme this year for Africa Week, organized at UNESCO headquarters from 25 to 29 May. Several events organized by the Africa Group of member states to mark Africa Day (25 May) will highlight the continent’s wealth in these domains. Also in the context of Africa Week, the President of the Republic of Mali, Amadou Toumani Touré, will present a lecture on 29 May entitled “Conflict management: the example of Mali”.

For the whole week an exhibition (in Miró hall and the Salle des Pas Perdus) will present individual stands (African arts and crafts, sports and traditional games), multimedia stands including one for the African Nations Cup (CAN) to be held in 2010 in Angola, and other special stands devoted to the 2010 soccer World Cup (South Africa), the “Arts Nègres” world festival (Senegal), and the reinstallation of the Aksum Obelisk (Ethiopia).

Four films will be screened during the week: Le Ballon d’or, by Cheik Doucouré, with Salif Keita (25 May, 6 p.m.); Endurance, a tribute by British director Leslie Woodhead to Haile Gebreselassie, young Ethiopian who won the 10.000 metres at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 (26 May, 6 p.m.); Destiny, by Youssef Chahine (27 May, 6 p.m.); and La rivale by Edouard Carrion from France (28 May, 6 p.m.).

Lectures and debates (Room IV) will address the following topics: Africa-Caribbean: cultural identity and development issues (26 May, 4 p.m.); Sport and development in Africa: challenges (27 May, 4 p.m.); and Cultural diversity assets…in the context of the global crisis (28 May, 4 p.m.).

On 29 May, the President of the Republic of Mali, Amadou Toumani Touré, will make an official visit to UNESCO. After a meeting with Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO, he will give a lecture (Room I, 10.35 a.m. to 12.15 p.m.) entitled “Conflict management: the example of Mali” to the Ambassadors and Permanent Delegates.

On the same day, an Anti-Doping Forum will be held, with athletes from Africa and the diaspora, including: Zinedine Zidane, Hadhari Djaffar (Comoros), Sergado (Côte d’Ivoire), Sammy Traoré (Mali) and Simão Mate (Mozambique).

Africa Week will end on 29 May with a cultural and artistic evening (6 p.m., Room I, by invitation).

• Author(s):UNESCOPRESS
• Source:Media Advisory No.2009- 29
• 19-05-2009