Selam Connecting for Culture Africa 2023-2028

In the initial year of implementation, progress was achieved in relation to three of the four projected outcomes, as demonstrated by the following: Outcome 1 Establish a consolidated, inclusive, and rightsbased driven network advocating for public investment in culture: The Network was launched during a regional level event in Addis Abeba which gathered close to 300 participants. Separate national launch events with roundtable discussions took place in Zambia, Uganda, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, each gathering 3050 participants. Based on recommendations from the roundtable discussions, an expert advisory group for CfCA was formed. The expert group has been tasked to give advice on program strategies and to follow up on the programs progress. Outcome 2 The network is engaged in an inclusive, age and gender representative, and constructive policy dialogue with regional and national duty bearers in at least five countries targeting national budget processes and culture policies: Following the launch of the network, the need to slightly reduce the number of focus countries was identified. The initiative is therefore now focused on four instead of the original five countries, but the ambition to scale up remains. Structures for collaboration have been established with technical staff working with culture, tourism, finance, and national planning wthtin the governments of Zambia, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia. Individuals at ministry level from these four countries engaged in several CfCA discussions throughout 2023. The network also held in-person meetings with relevant duty bearers from a total of 17 African countries. Comprehensive engagement was also conducted with an expert group made up by representatives from civil society organizations, the private sector, and government officials from eight countries. Outcome 3 Young women and men culture actors have successfully implemented at least three country pilots enabling their skills development and empowerment and contributing to showcases used in national and regional advocacy campaigns: This outcome was significantly delayed and the pilot projects were postponed until later in 2024. In spite of the delay, youth were engaged in different capacities during the network and dialogue events which provided them with new advocacy skills and knowledge. Outcome 4 Demonstrated increased awareness among duty bearers in targeted countries and the general public on the importance to invest in inclusive culture and creative industries: Although somewhat difficult to measure with exactness, verbal accounts from duty bearers after participating in events and dialogues showed an increased awareness regarding the importance of public investment in culture. Acknowledgments from duty bearers on the role of culture for social and economic development were noted. In addition to the above, two points are worth mentioning. First, baseline studies are underway in each of the four focus countries, which will provide updated data of public funding for the culture sector. The findings are meant to provide evidential support for CfCA policy actions and lobbying strategies. Second, significant headway was made regarding collaboration with the AU. In connection to the CfCA launch, Selam was given the opportunity to present the initiative to the Specialized Technical Committee Meeting on Youth, Culture, and Sports and the CfCA was subsequently formally endorsed by the AU Ministers. An MoU with the AU is currently being prepared. Once signed it will provide the CfCA network access to AU technical staff and dialogue platforms, which is expected to increase the network members possibility to participate in, and influence, policy discussions. Numerous African countries have expressed interest in inviting Selam to introduce CfCA initiative.

The project "Connect for Culture Africa" is a five-year program that aims to intertwine advocacy efforts at regional and national levels through a network of culture advocates dedicated to raising awareness on the benefits of investing in culture. The objective of the project is to contribute to increased voice among culture actors to influence and participate in budget processes that aim at securing resources to the culture and creative sectors. The project aims at contributing to an increased political will that translates to budget proposals, budget bills, and in increased budget allocation to the culture and creative sectors in Africa. The project focuses on creating conditions for culture to play its potential role in promoting human rights, democracy, job creation, tech and digitisation as well as peace and reconciliation in Africa, with an initial focus on the five core countries Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Morocco.