The Power of Culture

Does micro-financing hold golden promises for Africa's independent cultural sector, or are the two natural opposites? The DOEN Foundation in the Netherlands and Strømme Foundation in Norway are organising a pilot project in 2008 that will study concrete commonalities and test myths.

With a shining 29-year career, Senegalese fashion designer Diouma Dieng Diakhate is a pioneer in the world of African fashion.

In one of the poorest regions of Senegal a locally driven artisan initiative, known as Maam Samba, provides work for over 350 employees and revitalizes a West African tradition of craftsmanship.

"Gastronomy is the cultural expression of a basic need. It plays an irreplaceable part in development processes," says Manual Izaguirre Sotomayor, head of the Tourist Observatory of the University of San Martin de Porres in Lima, Peru.

Textile manufacturer Franz Beltran is a finalist in the BiD Challenge Award, with a training and employment programme for women.

The African publishing industry is in danger of dying slowly as a result of poverty, a weak reading culture, stiff competition from better equipped multi-national companies, little or no support from the governments, the World Bank and donors. But there is still hope, says Kenyan publisher Dr Chakava.

Inspired by recycling seen in the Brazilian favelas, two Dutch designers who recently graduated developed a design vase that can be manufactured locally.