GENERAL SECRETARIAT OF THE AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN AND PACIFIC GROUP OF STATES

Opening ceremony of the 1st meeting of ACP Ministers of Culture
Dakar, 20 June 2003

Address by the ACP Secretary-General

Rt Hon Prime Minister
Hon Ministers
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen of the Diplomatic Corps
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

First of all, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to you, Right Honourable Prime Minister, for honouring us with your presence and for having accepted to preside over this ceremony.

May I also request that you convey my gratitude to the President of Senegal, H.E. Maître Abdoulaye WADE, whose personal involvement has lent prestige to this meeting and will contribute in large measure to its success.

Rt Hon. Mr Prime Minister, your country has distinguished itself once again by according us a hearty and exceptional reception. Allow me, on behalf of all the delegations, to express my gratitude to your Government for the excellent facilities made available to us.

We are extremely delighted to be here in Dakar, the capital of a country replete with symbols and imbued with a history whose every facet conceals the layers of the cultures of many of the countries represented in this hall.

For most ACP nationals, being in Dakar can be likened to going back to their roots, a pilgrimage to the confines of their own memory

Being in Dakar is also being in a country of beauty, spirit and art. As proof, just walk down the corridors of this complex and you cannot help being enchanted by the quality of the works of art adorning them, or call back to mind the magnificent spectacle offered to participants yesterday evening by the Ministry of Culture which was conducted with great talent by the Honourable Minister, Abdou FALL.

In this context, how can one not remember here, in Senegal, that Africa is in the forefront of the currents of art that irrigated the 20th century, namely,: expressionism, cubism, installations, in the plastic arts? How can one forget that Africa begat or fed the most important types of music, namely,: jazz, the classical music of the 20th century, Afro-Cuban music, the other Caribbean types of music, Rock, and the Hip Hop movement, and had great influence on modern choreography, from Béjart to Carolyn Carlson. The list is endless.

The cultural wealth of the two other components of the ACP Group, as well their cultural contribution to the world, are equally impressive, as epitomized by the various carnivals of the Caribbean and the hakka of the Pacific. All these demonstrate the cultural wealth of the ACP Group. This observation is unanimous; as unanimous, unfortunately and paradoxically, as that on the inadequate husbanding or ownership of the economic resources which these very countries and regions derive from their cultures.

Coupled with this paradox are others such as the fact that the cultures of the ACP countries which protected their identity during the period of historical vicissitudes, now find themselves threatened, and sometimes seem less resistant in the face of more subtle changes.

In the face of the uncertainties of the past two decades and the global political and economic reconfiguration, and in its desire to strengthen a solidarity born out of a longstanding association, ACP Heads of State and Government, meeting in their 3rd Summit in Fiji last July, decided to convene a meeting of Ministers of Culture. The aim was to enable the ACP States to: on the one hand, examine the issues affecting the role of the ACP countries’ cultures in their development policies and, on the other hand, seek the ways and means of promoting the cultures and cultural industries of the ACP States and regions.

That is what has brought us here to Dakar today for this meeting of ACP Ministers of Culture which, in itself, constitutes the first such event in the annals of the ACP Group.

Rt Hon Prime Minister
Hon. Ministers
Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen of the Diplomatic Corps
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

The wealth of the world today is increasingly becoming a vibrant wealth, not the fossil wealth of yester year. More and more, present-day goods are becoming immaterial. More and more, it is the principal production of the rich countries that is becoming a production of the mind.

In this era of globalization, we must take better account of the tremendous potential of sectors related to culture. Elsewhere, the entertainment industries - to name but that example - constitute a source of wealth and employment. These industries enhance the development of what abounds in the ACP States, which is: imagination and know-how.

However, no-one can remain an island entire unto himself as far as globalization is concerned. That is why the ACP Group considers it logical not to become weighed down by globalization but, rather, to take advantage of it, seek out and systematically avail itself of all the opportunities within its reach, with a view to bringing its comparative advantage into play.

In so doing, the ACP countries want to participate in the world market and not remain mere spectators sitting on the fence with arms crossed, watching the convoy of globalization pass them by.

Our Group, which has placed the fight against poverty and sustainable development at the heart of its objectives, intends to wage this struggle with all the arms at its disposal. Culture is one such arm. It is powerful, elegant, and universal. Further, it has the capacity of transcending differences to contribute to a better reciprocal knowledge of peoples.

Our meeting in Dakar must fall within this same development prospect .The experts and high officials who have worked these past two days have ensured that the Declaration and Plan of Action on ACP Cultures and Cultural industries which will be submitted to this meeting, bear that mark and take special account of that dimension.

Discussions will bear on several issues and various subjects. However, they will all relate to development strategy; be they cultural diversity, preparation of a joint cultural strategy, trade and industry, safeguard of the ACP countries’ intellectual property or heritage, and of the legal status of artistes, to name but a few.

The variety of the Group’s cultures naturally warrants special attention to the concept of cultural diversity; diversity within the Group, but also in relation to other countries. Cultural diversity, considered as a guarantor of the mutual respect of cultures and an opportunity for them to derive mutual benefit therefrom. We have been trying to experience this diversity on a daily basis within the ACP family, and that is why I cannot but express delight at the concrete expression Senegal has given to the concept by setting up the “Coalition for Cultural Diversity”

For a very long time now, the Member States of the ACP Group have been striving for the establishment of convention on the return and restoration of their expropriated cultural heritage. There is reluctance in meeting these claims. Some people propose, however, to promote the enhancement of these works in the very countries they find themselves in. Others advocate the ACP peoples’ right of access to these works which could, for instance, become the objects of tours in their countries of origin.

Our privileged cooperation with the European Union, through the Lome Conventions and the Cotonou Agreement, enshrines the importance of taking due account of the social and cultural dimensions of development projects and programmes, from the stage of conception to that of implementation. As far as this issue of cultural goods and other issues are concerned, this cooperation is an asset.

It however does not preclude the need for us to promote and strengthen regional cooperation between ourselves. Quite a number of ACP countries have experience we can build on, especially as regards the creation of networks of actors and cultural operators.

The adoption of the Dakar Declaration and its Plan of Action, the creation of a Foundation, and the organization of an International Cultural Festival as a showcase of our diversity and creativity are challenges and important events which remind us of the necessity of taking global account of cultural development.

If this first meeting of ACP Ministers of Culture constitutes a historic moment, it is also distinguished by multifarious cooperation with several partners who have contributed to its preparation and organization. In that regard, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the European Union, the International Francophone Organization, UNESCO, UNCTAD and ECDPM, for their support. I particularly hail the presence of Hon Don BOUDRA, representative of the Federal Canadian Government, whose spontaneous and enthusiastic support augurs well for an even more fruitful cooperation.

Before I conclude, may I call on you to consider this 1st meeting of ACP Ministers of Culture as an opportunity for the ACP to embark on a new field of action, to reflect deeper on the indispensable complementarity between public authorities and their cultural actors and on the urgent need to reckon with the support of the different social groups comprising our societies

The Senegalese authorities’ organization of professionalization Workshops for cultural actors as a prelude to the Ministerial meeting demonstrates a manifest will to listen to, and engage the participation of, the largest number of stakeholders. The Workshops, which were meaningful and targeted, enabled us all to gauge the incredible vitality of ACP cultural actors, and should serve as a source of inspiration to us.

I end my address by renewing my gratitude to the host country and to our partners, and by wishing you all an excellent meeting which, I am convinced, will be followed by other equally enriching ones.

I thank you for your attention.