The Second Pan-Africa Cultural Festival form 5th to 20th July, 2009.in Algeria

Press Release by H. E Abdelmoun’aam,
Ambassador of Algeria to Tanzania
Dar es Salaam, June 25, 2009.
Forty years after the first pan-Africa Festival held in Algiers in 1969, Algeria is going to host the Second Pan-Africa Cultural Festival form 5th to 20th July, 2009.
48 African countries will participate officially. The United States of American and brazil which have strong African communities, will also take part to this important festival.
The circumstances of organizing the first festival are completely different from the ones of the second festival. The 1969 festival was organzed under the banner of freedom and liberation because many African countries w ere under the colonial domination. However, after 40 years, Algeria and Africa reached success and development so the African continent comes back with a new slogan that is the African renaissance. Algeria and the African countries had provided all means in order to participate strongly in this cultural meeting.
More than 8000 participants will be present during the second edition of the pan=-African Cultural Festival.
The continental event offers a new opportunity to Africa, almost totally freed, at last, from the colonial domination, to show the extraordinary variety of its peoples and their sensational creativity in all cultural and artistic fields (heritage, the after, music, choreography, cinema, literature, comic strip, visual arts, arts and crafts, etc0. The African Union and the African Governments are already committed and ready for this great event.
Various sides of the African culture will be displayer during this two-week long festival. Among these activities we have:-
1. Exhibition of contemporary African art
2. Exhibition of African designers
3. Exhibition of photographers’ works
4. Photo exhibition of liberation movements and the struggle against colonialism.
5. “Women in African Art” exhibition
6. Fashion parade of young designers with highlight on hairdressing .
We provided you with a list of some other cultural activities that will be help during the festival.
The United Republic of Tanzania will participate to the second Pan-African festival with a delegation of 62 members, including 5 artistic group totaling 52 members. These groups are:-
Splendid Theatre group from Dar es Salaam, Bota Group from Mtwara, Sana Tarab from Zanzibar, Tanzania House of Talents from Dar es Salaam and Tabata Educators group from Dar es Salaam.
Two other artists will also participate. The a re Miss Mwabyekwa Mwandale who is a sculptor and the artist painter Mr. Mwasha Aggrey Paulo.
Doctor Salim Ahmed Salim and professor haroub Othman from University of Dar es Salaam will take part to a seminar on Colonial enterprise and armed conflict in the liberation of Africa scheduled form 13th to 15 July, 2009.
The Tanzania official delegation will be led by Honorabel Shamuhuna Ali Juma, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Information, culture and sports fo the revolutionary Government of Zanzibar and will include honorable Bendera Joel Nkaya, Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Sports of the United Republic of Tanzania and Mrs. Ngowi Angela Magdalene, Assistant Director of Arts at the Ministry of Information, Culture and Sports.
Two Tanzania journalists will witness this important event because they will be accompanying the Tanzania artists who be leaving Dar es Salaam to Algeria on July 1st on a charter flight that will be operated by the Algerian Airway company Air Algerie.
The total cost of Tanzania participation to the second Pan-African Festival will be borne by the Algerian Government.
The popular opening f the festival will be on July 4, in the streets of Algiers in the form of long caravans from all participating countries.
Artistic caravans will use cars in the number of participant countries, arrayed in the Pan-African cultural festival’s colours, without counting emblems and flags of African countries and their rich cultural heritage, and all that is related to African symbols and their artistic and cultural heritage.
The office opening will be on July 5, corresponding to the 47th anniversary of t he independence of Algerial.
More information on the 2nd pan-AfricanCultural Festival can be contained through the website of the Festival at: www.panaf2009.dz.