The French Ambassador to Kenya, H.E. Arnaud Suquet hosted senior government officials earlier today at the French Embassy to launch the Inaugural Steering Committee of “Creation Africa Kenya,” a project worth 1.2M Euros supporting Kenya’s cultural and creative industries. The funds will contribute towards digital content production, digitization of cultural heritage sites, immersive installations, audiovisual training, and community screenings.
This initiative also empowers cultural entrepreneurs with grants for music, performing arts tours, and digital content creation. This is a fantastic collaboration between Kenya and the French government aimed at promoting culture and creativity in the country.
The meeting set the stage for a promising collaboration between Kenya and France in the realm of creative and cultural industries. In his opening remarks, Ambassador Suquet emphasized the importance of enhancing Kenya’s creative and cultural sector as part of France’s Foreign Policy. He expressed confidence in Kenya’s abundance of talent and saw a great opportunity to transform this talent into a significant contributor to both Kenya’s and the global creative economy.
The Ambassador acknowledged the role of digital transformation in unlocking the potential of talents and commended the timely initiative, Talanta Hela, spearheaded by the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and Sports. He revealed that Creation Africa-Kenya, supported by the French Embassy, will support Talanta Hela to empower Kenyan creatives, aiding them in developing, marketing, and improving employment and income opportunities.
In her remarks, PS Ummi Bashir lauded the French Embassy for providing a remarkable opportunity for Kenyan creatives.
She viewed the initiative as a valuable addition to the government’s ongoing efforts to nurture entrepreneurship skills among the creative community. She called upon the creatives to produce high-quality, and globally competitive products. PS Bashir emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to supporting the creatives and welcomed collaborations within the industry.
PS Ismael Madey echoed these sentiments, underlining the government’s intentional focus on the creative industry. He invited participants to contribute their views to Kenya’s creative economy policy and creative industries bill, emphasizing adherence to international standards for competitiveness. The Talanta Hela Initiative took centre stage as he detailed its pillars and called for collaboration opportunities.
The meeting participants were then acquainted with ongoing projects supported by Creation Africa-Kenya, sparking discussions on potential partnerships and the growth prospects for Kenya’s Creative and Cultural industries. Among the concerns raised by creatives was the lack of infrastructure in Kenya to showcase their products, prompting Mr. Michael Pundo to announce plans for the construction of an International Arts and Culture Centre. It will be a Centre for innovation, community engagement, dialogue in Kenya, East Africa and globally. This announcement was met with enthusiasm as he welcomed partnerships for this ambitious endeavour.
Creation Africa- Kenya project aims to strengthen the capacities of Kenyan creatives to develop and market their products and facilitate the acceleration of a digital ecosystem that will promote entrepreneurship and increase its potential contribution to the economy. As such, it will also contribute to the Talanta Hela initiative to boost the critical sector of the creative economy. The project is administered by the French Embassy in Kenya and is implemented by the Alliance Francaise Nairobi.
[Additional Reporting and photos courtesy of the Kenya Cultural Centre]
Usanifu News (Kenya) 