Statement by H.E. Amb. Minata Samate Cessouma, Commissioner for Health, Humanitarian Affairs and Social Development on the Occasion of the G7 Ministers’ of Culture Meeting 

THEME: CULTURE: A DRIVER FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WORLD

H.E Gennaro Sangiuliano, Minister of Culture of Italy and our Host;

Your Excellencies Ministers of Culture of the G7 Member States;

The Representative of the European Union;

The Representative of UNESCO;

The Representative of ICCROM;

The Representative of the African Development Bank;

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.

It is a great honour for me to address this august gathering of Ministers responsible for Culture, Arts and Heritage of the G7 member states. On behalf of H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, I would like to convey his gratitude to the Government of Italy through you, Hon. Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano, for the invitation to participate in this very important meeting on culture, as well as the usual Italian hospitality accorded to us, here in Naples.      

Africa and the G7 member countries are endowed with rich cultural and natural heritage, and it is significant that our heritages are preserved, profiled and promoted to the world at large and for generations to come.   

The theme of this gathering: Culture: A Driver for Sustainable Development of the World” allows us to reflect and devise critical strategies and programmes to uplift the role of culture in the development of our societies. This reflection on culture, as a key pillar of sustainable development, is long standing, and it requires more concrete actions, initiatives and programmes now than ever. As we are all aware, committed investment in cultural policies and practices easily generate sustainable growth at all levels including the creative and artistic sector.

The African Union has taken bold steps to harness the arts, culture and heritage sector development through AU Assembly decisions and continental cultural programmes and policies. 

The declaration of “Arts, Culture and Heritage: Levers for Building the Africa we Want” by the Assembly of the African Union, as the Theme of year for 2021, is a testimony for the commitment to profile and reflect on the development and promotion of the sector.  The theme was inspired by Aspiration (5) of the African Union Agenda 2063 which ‘envisions an Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, shared values and ethics where women play an important role, and in which the youth and traditional religious leaders are recognized as drivers of change to foster development and the spirit of Pan-Africanism. ‘

 Under this same theme a key decision was endorsed to provide at least 1% of AU member states national budgets to arts, culture and heritage sector. As the policy arm of the Union, I am glad to mention that, AU member states are embracing the path of progressive investment in the cultural and heritage sector.

In executing our main mandate of policy development, the Commission has developed important continental policies aimed at providing guidance to our member states in shaping and promoting this sector, to mention a few:

The Charter for African Cultural Renaissance;

The Revised Plan of Action on Cultural and Creative Industries;

The AU Model Law on the Protection of Cultural Property and Heritage;

The Statute of the African Audio-Visual and Cinema Commission and;

The Common African Position on Restitution of Heritage Resources. 

We have also established critical offices to support the implementation of continental arts, culture and heritage programmes:

1. The Great Museum of Africa (GMA), a flagship Project of the AU Agenda 2063 which is mandated to showcase Africa’s rich heritage to the world. The GMA will also serve as a hub for restituted heritage resources to the continent. The temporary site was launched in June 2023 in Algiers, Algeria;

2. The African Academy of Languages (ACALAN) in Bamako, Mali is in charge of promoting African Languages and their use in all spheres of society;

3. The African Audio-visual and Cinema Commission (AACC) in Nairobi, Kenya is mandated to promote the development, distribution and dissemination of African films and audio-visual materials; 

4. The Centre for Linguistic Studies, History and Oral Traditions (CELHTO) in Niamey, Niger is also mandated to promote African history and oral traditions.   

 Aside, the initiatives I have outlined, we also believe that, to attain Aspiration 05 of the AU Agenda 2063, and for culture to truly become a key driver for sustainable development, we need to establish strong synergies, equal partnerships and collaborations beyond the continent, Africa, with our G7 counterparts and more, for our mutually beneficial interest. 

I reiterate my sincere appreciation to the Government of Italy, for being a key partner of the African Union and especially in the promotion of arts, culture and heritage.  Over the years AU member states have participated in a cultural heritage programme organized by the Carabinieri which has assisted them in enhancing their policy frameworks, skills and in development of cultural databases.

We must also not forget the conversations about the returning of Africa’s cultural and heritage artefacts, where it rightfully belongs.    

In conclusion, kindly accept my gratitude, the President of the G7 Ministers Meeting and to all of you Hon. Ministers here present for the opportunity, on behalf of President Faki Mahamat.

I am very certain of a fruitful discussions and recommendations that will shape our world for the better, unifying all of us through cultural and tradition as one people with a common future.  

Thank you very much for your Kind Attention!

Merci Beaucoup!

Grazie mille!