Culturesfrance

CULTURESFRANCE is the agency of the ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture and Communications responsible for international cultural exchanges. It works on a daily basis in collaboration with other French and foreign partners in the private and public sector, at city or regional level in France or Europe.

Its intervention policy is focused on three major areas:

- Presentation of French creative arts in their many different forms in the fields of theatre and the performing arts, visual arts, architecture, books and the written word, the cinematographic heritage and cultural engineering.

- Interest in the world’s cultures, in bringing them to France and in cooperation and dialogue with them. In the context of the increasing globalisation of exchanges, Culturesfrance concerns itself with its European base, with the development of French-speaking cultures and with the promotion of cultural diversity throughout the world.
Through its initiatives within France as well as beyond its borders, through bilateral operations with countries in the context of cultural seasons or years, through its development activities especially on the African continent and in the Caribbean region, Culturesfrance is committed to establishing long-term and equitable relations between the world’s cultures.

- Development of its expertise and initiatives with France’s cultural and cooperation network abroad, and with regional authorities, multilateral European, Francophone or other organisations, the private sector, major French and foreign institutions and with all creative artists, authors, agents and partners of cultural and artistic exchanges.

Nearly 5000 professionals, authors and artists are supported through these initiatives each year in over 160 countries. Over 20 million people worldwide take part in or attend directly operations supported by Culturesfrance each year. At the heart of these exchanges and dialogues, Culturesfrance works to develop links between the world’s cultures.

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The department for Artistic Cooperations and Exchanges brings together the entire cultural spectrum of performing arts, visual arts and architecture, for artists living and working in France as well as those on the African continent and in the Caribbean region.

The integration of initiatives driven from Africa and the Caribbean in productions within the CULTURESFRANCE artistic department reaffirms that promoting diversity is at the heart of our policy.

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The challenges and objectives of Afrique et Caraibes en creations

For over ten years, "Afrique en Créations" has been a loyal partner, encouraging and accompanying the development of the cultural sector in Africa. Today, the richness, diversity and vitality of this sector speak for themselves.
All over the continent, artistes are being born and coming to maturity; operators and festivals have become more professional; a market has grown up on the scale of the continent, playing a decisive role, alongside the French cultural network, in the dissemination of works locally, regionally and internationally.
While the work of these often remarkable men and women is salutary, there is still a great deal to be done before the artistes and their works form an integral part of the major international circuits, and before the development of the cultural sector in Africa is acknowledged and accompanied in political terms.

The department’s scope of action is expanding with the creation of a new programme, "Caraïbes en Créations", intended for all countries in the Caribbean region, so the department’s name is now "Afrique et Caraïbes en Créations" (Africa and Caribbean Creative Arts Department).
To find out more

The "Afrique et Caraïbes en Créations" programme for 2007/2009 has been established with a Priority Solidarity Fund (PSF), raising €8 million for 3 years, €1.5 million of which is intended for the launch of "Caraïbes en Créations".
It is mainly aimed at:
- helping to support access to the national and international markets;
- encouraging the development of the cultural economy so that Africa can benefit from the economic repercussions of its rich cultural production;
and will involve:
- major themed events in Africa and in the Caribbean, designed as professional platforms;
- the search for new market territories;
- a change in the way of supporting the most structured operators;
- the development of promotional tools in books and on CDs and DVDs;
while taking on new missions and new programmes.