The Power of Culture

Les 3A from Ouagadougou has found a new use for old bus wrecks. The aim is to make art and design better known.

The African world of culture is rapidly changing. Playwright and activist Mike van Graan coordinates a task force with a big programme.

The terrible conditions in today's Zimbabwe only feed the desire of young artists to express themselves. The Book Café plays a central role in the cultural life of the capital, Harare.

ISH is an Amsterdam theatre group that combines skate, breakdance, hiphop and dance into a new type of expressive art. At the end of June 2007 the first overseas ISH Institute was opened in Bangalore (India), under the name of W-ISH.

For the second time, the Venice Biennial (10 June - 21 November 2007) will have a pavilion with work by five visual artists from five Central Asian countries. A new, young generation of artists shows work primarily reflecting the cross-over between new media and contemporary music, in which the laptop often plays an important part.

Strengthening cultural entrepreneurship among image artists' initiatives in Africa, Asia and Latin America and promoting the exchange of knowledge. These are the primary goals of Artscollaboratory, a new programme by Hivos & DOEN in cooperation with the Mondriaan foundation.

Encouraging dignity, and allowing people to make their own choices and to bear their own responsibilities. Those are the primary values in the holistic approach that the Strømme Foundation has chosen to fight poverty. In addition to devoting attention to education and micro-financing, culture constitutes an important share of the activities.

More than fifty key figures from Africa's independent art world met early in March 2007 at Senegal’s Gorée Institute for the conference 'The ARTerial'. The expansive theme of the conference was strengthening the art sector.