It is another face of Africa that proposes to discover the forum Création Africa, whose first edition will be held from October 6 to 8 at the Gaîté Lyrique and at National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts, in Paris. This face is that of a continent full of audacity, resolutely turned towards new technologies, which invested with an unusual vitality in sectors in full development, those of the cultural and creative industries: TV series, animation cinema, immersive worlds (video games, metaverse and XR) and comics.
By bringing together for the first time more than 600 professionals, including 300 African creators, Création Africa, this initiative, organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, called to perpetuate itself, strikes a blow by proposing, in an innovative format, to highlight the emerging African scene in its professional and creative dimensions. « It is a real platform for meetings, exchanges of expertise and talent development ',' said journalist and director Liz Gomis, the forum’s general secretary, who interviewed us.
One of the challenges of the Creation Africa forum is, you say, to convene new stories ” and “ renewed imaginations ". What do you mean by that?
Our ambition is indeed to show that the African continent is not, from a creative point of view, neither from a single block, nor from a single voice, but that it includes a real profusion of new expressions, each more exciting than the last, which make its richness. It is these new voices, often little known to the French public, that we will highlight at the Création Africa forum, the first of their kind in Europe.
You insist on the strong identity of these creations...
The whole of Africa knows today a thirst for creativity without limit, it is inhabited by a real appetite for creation. This is why it seemed essential to us that this forum be on a continental scale and not on the scale, for example, of Francophone, Lusophone or Anglophone Africa. From Senegal to Angola, from Nigeria to South Africa, and from Madagascar to the Maghreb countries, African creation is diverse, multiple, abundant. What we thought was important to highlight was its great vitality, whatever its language, religion or country of origin.
The forum is more oriented towards the cultural and creative industries than the usual artistic disciplines. Why?
In Africa today, we are witnessing a real renewal of creative genres, with a very marked tropism, particularly among the youngest, in the direction of TV series, animation, comics, video games or metaverse. Thanks to our curatorial team, composed of seasoned professionals, great connoisseurs of the African scene, we have identified the latest trends in these creative universes that are now experiencing a tremendous boom.
These are, for example, three works created specifically for the event: Mugumo Tree, a virtual reality work by Kenyan Brian Afande, Kwasukasukela, a mapping screening by South African filmmaker Xabiso Vili and a short film by Congolese filmmaker Frank Mukunday and Tétshim. It is also the highly anticipated preview screening of the South African event series Spinners. At the forum, we will present no less than twenty animated films and TV series, two exhibitions in augmented reality, fourteen works and video games to test in virtual reality...
The common denominator of the creative industries is digital...
All these innovative artistic practices have one thing in common: the use of digital technologies, which the younger generations have eagerly seized. With digital technology, we can – for example – travel without moving, cross invisible worlds or make appear before us a divinity of the sea...
In a continent where difficulties in accessing resources are widely documented, digital technology makes it possible to find solutions to continue creating. When we see the quality of comics, video games or TV series made with a simple mobile phone, we think that their authors have considerable potential. We must be able to help them develop it. This is why it seemed relevant to organize a connection between African creators and French professionals.
In fact, another part of the forum is devoted to the professional dimension. What does it consist of?
With some 600 professionals, including more than 300 Africans, we will, as I just said, network African and French entrepreneurs and creators. It is an essential part of the event, which will take various formats: appointments, round tables, notes of intent, focus, workshops… This professional dimension has been thought in a logic of market development. A platform dedicated to making appointments, produced by Business France, and the provision of spaces reserved for Gaîté Lyrique, will consolidate this dimension.
Training is just as essential. In Africa, there is a whole pool of young aspiring creators who lack in their country higher education structures that could offer them room for improvement. In France, the network of Culture higher education schools is particularly dense. We thought it would be interesting to invite each other to meet. I wanted to salute all the schools that responded.
The program also includes round tables that reflect on current events in the cultural and creative industries.
There is indeed a reflexive dimension, which will put into perspective the major debates of our news: from the «creative and inclusive potential of artificial intelligence and its ethical limits» to «the circulation of works», passing by “diversity and inclusion issues in video games”. Not to mention an exciting debate on «Plural identities and cultural creation: transmitting the stories and cultures of Africa».
Recognizing the interconnected destinies of Africa and Europe
Act of prefiguration of MansA, the future House of the African Worlds, the forum Creation Africa, announced by the President of the Republic, is part of an innovative approach, seeking to redefine perspectives and recognize the interconnected destinies of Europe and Africa.
This vision initiated by the Africa2020 Season, supported by nearly 1,000 partners in France and across the African continent, as well as by the New Africa Summit France, which took place two years ago in Montpellier, continues its journey with Création Africa.
The organization of this event benefits from a partnership with the Agence Française de Développement, the Centre Pompidou, the Conservatoire national des arts et des métiers (CNAM), Business France, the Banque Publique d'investissement (Bpifrance) and the Institut Français.
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