An Africa-Europe Initiative “Strengthening African-European Museum Partnerships” opened in Addis Ababa with an overall objective of strengthening cultural and socio-economic relations between Africa and Europe.
The goal of the workshop is to define detailed work packages for contracting International Partners in the second semester of 2024 and to begin implementation of the initiative in 2025 with a budget of 19.9 million euro dedicated for five years.
The programme aims to enhance cooperation and exchange between Africa and Europe to protect, promote and provide access to cultural heritage and its relation to contemporary arts within a framework of more financially secure and audience-focussed cultural institutions
Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the African Union, Riccardo Mosca during the opening underlined “transmission from the past to the future remains central – and profoundly linked to our actions in the contemporary world, especially when we speak about the relations between our neighbouring continents”. While addressing the high level participants of museum and cultural heritage professionals from Africa and Europe, Mr Mosca further quoted the Cameroonian philosopher Achille Mbembé “the relationship between Africa and Europe is not simply a matter of economic and political domination, but a complex web of cultural exchanges, shared memories, and mutual influences. To engage with this relationship critically, we need to interrogate the ways in which Eurocentric narratives have shaped our understanding of history and culture, and to reclaim the agency of African societies in shaping their own destinies.”
The initiative will also promote intercultural dialogue, contributing to new Africa-EU narratives positively transforming fundamental aspects of EU-Africa relations, especially with regard to mutual understanding among museum actors and audiences in Africa and Europe.