As Rabat sings the cultural anthem of African and Afro-descendant unity and peace

Monceyf Fadili

The third edition of the World African and Afro-Descendant Cultural Day (JMCA) was held from January 24, 2023, under the High Patronage of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, at the initiative of the Cités and United Local Governments. Africa – UCLG Africa in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, City of Rabat, African Network of African Cultural Promoters and Entrepreneurs (RAPEC) and UNESCO. A celebration marked by the participation of Afro-descendants of the African diaspora (Brazil, United States, Haiti) as Africa’s sixth region with 200 million people.

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JMCA’s edition is part of Rabat’s celebration of the capital of African culture; A double tribute to African and Afro-descendant culture and African cities as a lever in the service of sustainable development, dialogue and peace. The opening session was marked by the interventions of the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Togo, the Mayor of Rabat, the President of Ribat Al Fath Association, the representative of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, the President of RAPEC. , Representative of UNESCO and Secretary General of UCLG Africa, in the presence of Ambassadors accredited to Morocco.

African and Afro-descendant Culture: A Tool for Promoting Peace on the Continent and in the World By proclaiming January 24 as the World Day for African and Afro-descendant Culture, UNESCO has done justice to Africa, “the sourdough that reconciles the world to itself”, for its culture of unity, compassion and humanity. The United Nations supports the cultural development process in a context where 54 states in Africa out of 193 members represent only 9% of the World Heritage List. A gap must be filled by supporting the 12 unregistered countries, the fight against all forms of piracy and culture creation” Everything humans have imagined to shape the world, accommodate the world, make it fit for man

(Aimé Césaire). Dreaming of an Africa that is proud of its roots through culture and has its voice heard on major international issues” Africophony », the challenge of cultural renaissance relies on voluntary public policies. These dreams, borne by 1.4 billion Africans, must overcome four handicaps: (i) self-esteem, lack of compassion; (ii) to know for lack of positive interest; (iii) communication, conflict resolution; (iv) Leadership, in the absence of a visionary leader and work together “. One of the solutions to these deficiencies is to change attitudes towards work through education. Affects the software we think

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Promoting African and Afro-descendant culture in the context of a globalized economy With 2,000 languages, half of the languages ​​spoken in the world, Africa has the capital to create stories. In this, the continent should be a torch, passing the baton by improving the intervals of inspiration, and “ We create and create places where we tell stories “. Male and female – we invite such creators Masquerade Festival

During the Sigui ceremonies in Dogon country (Mali). In this, culture serves as a vehicle for construction in Africa, in a relationship “ Emotion shapes culture “and” Culture shapes consciousness “. The issue of education from an African point of view is one of the foundations,” Grounds the mind, body and heart Especially within the African diaspora, when breaking free from mental slavery, a “ African Studies “and a” Pan-Africanist regression ». Le mouvement DOOR (Our Return Door) andBack to Africa , and the tourism impulse of Afro-American descendants (Ghana and Senegal, 2019) reflects a desire to re-establish ties with the continent through the prism of culture. Translation of tales and stories Swahili and Wolof Expresses this desire to return to the roots Black Pantherson social media, and the 2021 Intra-African Trade Fair, Durban –Intra-Africa Trade Fair 2021

– Creates a suitable place to promote African trade with the world. In the context of a globalized economy, it is part of the diaspora’s struggle to come up with a mechanism for actions and exchanges with the African continent, which asks “ Africa approaches us Using its resources, knowledge and know-how. Review diptych (Casablanca, 2009), creates a good practice to build knowledge and audience by country, “ Create intuitive thinking » Based on the experiences of training and art schools and schools (Ghana, Senegal). At another level, as the two decades unfold, Geopolitical Moments Culture, creativity and self-esteem. In this spirit, the Dakar Biennial, Dakar-Art, represents the epitome of African-speaking contemporary art. The truth of the story touching universality

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Reconciling African youth and their culture: The possibilities offered by digital technologies The situation of Afro-descendant youth in Haiti presents a pessimistic diagnosis: 1/5 of youth are excluded from the education and work system, gender inequalities are (almost) the norm. That’s an environment African eldest daughter Confronts history, “where the rejection stands for the first time”, the successor of Toussaint Louverture and “the first voice that said no to slavery”. 219 years ago, Haiti paid the ransom for its independence to France with a huge debt, equivalent to 21 billion euros between 1825 and 1950, one of the consequences of which was “ Hurts and destroys the future of the youth

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Yet dynamic and fusional, a youth eager to write its own history, and its connections with African youth represent a strong anchor to its origins. To this end, one of the strongest pledges and links linking Africa to the Caribbean diaspora is to “participate in the Atlantic seaboard” to restore hope in the future and not abandon Haiti. In the face of an onslaught of television, movies and books in the US that downplay Africa’s importance, in Florida, African history is banned from school, and young Afro-descendants of Africa better connect with Africa. Textbooks.

It is a question of combating the messages conveyed by “family reunions” by communicating, filming and sharing with their elders in Africa while still “enslaved,” as the existence of young African-Americans is interpreted as beginning with slavery. To change the image and restore the Afro-descendant community to its rightful place in society. Digital can help in this direction, to avoid dilution of African culture and to develop confidence and self-esteem.

Helping young people by creating partnerships can be fruitful, such as in design and digital initiatives, where the contemporary arts – of which there are many in Africa – showcase young talent that only wants to speak. Aid to youth is essential given that the median age in Africa is 19, 60% of the population is under 25 and 16 million young people enter the labor market every year.

Sports activities prove to be productive and employable, with local leaders playing an important role in economic empowerment, relying on innate talents and a wide range of jobs for schools. Among the tools, entrepreneurship can help bridge the gap between youth and African culture.

The contribution of African and Afro-descendant diaspora to the international influence of African culture

In Brazil, where 65% of the population is of African descent, a 2003 law mandated – under the leadership of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – the teaching of Afro-Brazilian history and culture in basic education, a way to teach history differently.^{This recognition of cultural and linguistic heritage stems from the desire to bring Afro-Brazilians closer to their origins, making the learning of Yoruba compulsory in primary and secondary education since 2018. Dos Palmeras (17} Th century), a symbol of anti-slavery resistance andAnti-colonialism and heroic figure for societyAfro-Brazilian

. One of the sources of African cultural capital development within Afro-descendant communities is music, which “transcends borders and barriers,” a powerful vector of exchange brought by urban culture to America through hip hop. A true “language of music should be promoted”, with the help of school and accessible basic technologies.

More broadly, the place of Afro-descendant culture in the communities in which the diaspora lives must take its place. One of the challenges facing the rise of populism and extremism in Europe is to unite the diaspora in a constructive movement, strong in their dual culture and “way of living together”.