South Africa will celebrate Africa Day (25 May) with a month-long celebration of what it means to be African. Africa Month sees a festival of ideas and cultural exchange with the aim of promoting and strengthening the creative economy, cultural diplomacy and social cohesion. The theme for Africa Month is: “We Are Africa – Opening the doors of learning and culture to promote peace and friendship from Cape to Cairo.”
“We believe our programme will contribute to the attainment of the African Union’s vision 2063 which strives for an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena,” said Minister Mthethwa.
As part of the festivities the Department of Arts & Culture in partnership with Design Indaba will present a “We Are Africa” themed exhibition, which will be showcased from 14 May – 7 June at the KwaZulu-Natal Society of Arts in Glenwood, Durban. The exhibition brings together the work of 55 designers and innovators from 16 countries across the continent including Senegal, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Malawi, Kenya, Cameroon, Uganda and South Africa. It provides a visual survey of emerging, established and unexpected talent in the fields of ceramics, fashion, jewellery, furniture, textiles, graphics, animation, architecture and industrial design. The work featured at the exhibition was selected and sourced by Design Indaba, through a call for entries put out to creative communities across the continent.
“It is exciting to see the level of craftsmanship and innovation that African creatives are producing right now. In celebration of Africa Month, we hope the exhibition will continue this trajectory, inspiring others to contribute to our continent’s creative future,” said Kim Seeliger, Design Indaba Expo Manager.
Africa Month aims to increase appreciation and demand for arts and culture as well as goods and services, all in the hopes of stimulating competitive intra-Africa trade. Activities take place across the country and include music, literature, theatre, visual arts, film, fashion, food, seminars, exhibitions, lectures and panel discussions.
Visit the “We Are Africa” exhibition to experience design and innovation from across Africa and show your support for Africa Month. Details about the KZNSA gallery here or find them on Facebook here.
We encourage people to use #WeAreAfrica to post photos and other messages to share their activities with others.
To see the full programme for Africa Month please go to www.dac.gov.za/wearefrica
For more information, please contact:
Design Indaba Expo Manager
Kim Seeliger
kim@interactiveafrica.com
021 465 9966
Or
Follow the Department of Arts & Culture on the social media platforms below:
Facebook: facebook.com/ArtsCultureSA
Twitter: twitter.com/ArtsCultureSA
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Blog: artsculturesa.wordpress.com
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