A call to protect African arts, culture and heritage for sustainable development

By Robert Kakuru

From April 16th  till May 6th , 2013 China Federation of Literary Arts Circles (CFLAC), received 17 cultural officials and artists’ representatives from 10 English-speaking African countries, namely Sierra Leone, Zambia, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania, Malawi, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda and Egypt, all of whom completed their 21-day-long research and training on literary and art organization management and administration.

As the first international training project by CFLAC, this New China’s endeavor for international aid in literary and art organization management and administration, sponsored by Chinese Ministry of Commerce, undertaken by State Administrator for Radio Television (SAFRT) aimed at enhancing mutual understanding between China and Africa and promoting bilateral exchange and friendship.

The curriculum in this training project was abundant and comprehensive. Experts gave lectures on actual conditions and development of China, China’s cultural policies and mode of cultural management, the basic framework and mechanism of CFLAC as an NGO as well as preservation and inheritance of Chinese folklore.

Trainees were brought to interact with so many Chinese traditional culture and arts such as calligraphy, seal cutting, paper-cut, Kunqu opera and Taichi Boxing and visited museums, art colleges and academies, art ensembles and cultural companies to conduct on-the-spot teaching, inspection and exchange dialogues. In this way, African counterparts gained in-depth knowledge and vivid feelings about Chinese culture and Chinese literary and art organization management and administration.

Chinese artists’ voluntary events such as “Presenting Artistic Enjoyment to the People” aroused African friends’ curiosity. “How can CFLAC organize so many artists as volunteers to serve the people?

You know, it is hardly possible for so many African artists to do such a similar thing.” African trainees naturally raised such questions in succession to Wang Zhan, president of Jiangsu Provincial Federation of Literary and Art Circles at the seminar.

The journey in China started from Beijing to Nanjing, then to Gaochun and Suzhou, and they witnessed international metropolis, time-honored ancient capital for six dynasties, small city, ancient town and village. With a true showcase of Chinese culture and China presented to them, they mostly changed their misunderstanding of China.

By what means can China and Africa strengthen their cooperation? This question was an essential issue discussed among African trainees. Obviously, this calls for joint efforts from both sides. Culture, arts and tourism of African countries are supposed to be closer and completely open to China. Some cultural cooperation agreements were signed by between African countries, Uganda inclusive and China, but the process is extremely slow due to the linguistic barrier. China may establish some agencies such as Confucius Institute at Makerere University and art centers in the form of foreign aid for teaching and spreading Chinese culture free of charge, or give lessons on African languages and cultures in China.

Like a pair of legs of a person, economic trade and cultural exchange between China and Africa should be equally strong. Supposing trade obtained development while the people know scarcely about each other’s history and culture, this pair of legs would be unsound and deformed. The foreign aid project used to be mainly of commercial trade, and this project of culture and arts is the first attempt, which bears a great significance.

One of the key lessons from this training was that China has developed largely because of its culture, arts and heritage. For African, countries to develop sustainably, we must promote and protect our arts, culture and heritage. It was during this training that the representatives of the ten African countries resolved to form the Coalition for African Arts Culture and Heritage (CAACH).

CAACH was mainly formed to; Strengthen research and documentation of African art, culture, and heritage; Identify, preserve and promote African art, culture and heritage; Facilitate national, regional and international cooperation in art, culture and heritage for international cultural understanding; Undertake education and sensitization programmes on art, culture and heritage and embrace cultural diversity; Build capacity in the art, cultural and heritage discipline.

Today, Coalition for African Arts, Culture and Heritage is currently a registered International Organization in Uganda with Chapters in ten African Countries.

The writer is the Chairperson, Coalition for African arts culture and heritage and assistant Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, MakerereUniversity