4th edition of Arterial Network’s African Creative Economy Conference (ACEC), Co-hosted by the Association Racines/ Arterial Network Morocco, will take place in Rabat, at the National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, from 13 to 15 November 2014

The ACEC 2014 will build on theoretical expositions of preceding conferences, particularly the need to map the different sectors of the African creative economies. Leading cultural operators will share their success stories with the intention to address the need for pragmatic solutions in their fields. Acknowledging the value of freedom of creative expression, an additional thematic focus of the 2014 edition will further define the link between arts, culture and democracy.

Conference speakers include African Ministers of Culture and various cabinet representatives, thought leaders from the African Union and UNESCO, a wide variety of cultural entrepreneurs such as Joy Mboya of the GoDown Center (Kenya) and Touria el Glaoui, Founder of the 1:54 Contemporary African Art Fair (Morocco), and African innovators such as singer Didier Awadi, fashion designer Alphadi and photographer Aida Muluneh.

THEMES:

AFRICAN ARTS AND CULTURE
Strengthening Synergies between Government and Civil Society, unpacking the UNDP/UNESCO Creative Economy Report and Challenges of the Post- 2015 Development Agenda for Africa

CULTURE, ARTIST RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY IN AFRICA
Artistic Rights and freedom of expression, measuring democracy, good governance and the creative sector’s contribution to human, social and economic development

PRESSING ISSUES FOR THE AFRICAN CREATIVE ECONOMY
Entrepreneurship in the Creative Sector, Regional Strategies and Public-Private Partnerships

SNAPSHOTS INTO A CREATIVE AFRICA
Insights and success stories from leaders representing the art disciplines: pragmatic applications for arts practitioners,

LEARNING FROM THE GLOBAL SOUTH EXPERIENCE AND ENVISIONING THE FUTURE
Lessons from emerging countries: cultural strategies from Latin America and Asia, insights from UNESCO

The ACEC2014 is preceded by Arterial Network’s General Council (10th-11th November), where Arterial Network members discuss organizational matters. Racines/Arterial Network Morocco will also be the host of the “General State of Culture” on the 12th of November, a unique showcase of Moroccan culture for governmental and artistic stakeholders. In addition, an exciting music programme takes place daily in the Visa For Music Africa-Middle East Music Meeting which runs in parallel to the ACEC2014.

Arterial Network’s 4th African Creative Economy conference is supported by Doen Foundation, Moroccan Ministry of Culture, National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco, Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norwegian Embassy, Goethe Institute, German Embassy of Morocco, International Organization of la Francophonie, Attijari WafaBank Foundation, Heinrich Boll Foundation, Institut Francais/Equation Musique, British Council, Eunic Rabat and Ford West.

See the full programme here and its 2014 speakers.

Register here !

The African Creative Economy Conference is an annual project of the Arterial Network, a Pan-African civil society network of artists, cultural activists, enterprises, NGOs and others active in the creative sector. Highlighting the role of culture in sustainable development, the ACEC aims to provide a practical analysis and reflective overview of the current status of the African creative economy. Gathering practitioners, academics, policymakers and stakeholders from 40 African countries and the five continents, the ACEC has become an annual landmark to debate and formulate the strategies that help sustain and grow the creative sector in Africa.This meeting provides an enabling platform for dialogue, information exchange, networking and the strengthening of partnerships across arts disciplines, sectors, national borders and continents.

http://africacreativeconference.com