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SA TO HOST UNESCO AFRICAN REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON ARTS EDUCATION - 24-30 JUNE

South Africa has been invited by Unesco to host the African Regional Conference on 24-30 June 2001. Dr Ben Ngubane the Minister of Arts Culture Science and Technology, will give an opening address on Monday, 25 June 2001.

Date: 25 June 2001
Time: 8:30 am
Venue: Tsitsikamma Conference Centre (one hour from Port Elizabeth)

The South African national Departments of Education (DoE) and of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology (DACST) are co-hosting the conference. The Organisation of African Unity (OAU) and the Ford Foundation are the other partners. The conference will bring together Sub-Saharan expertise from both the formal and non-formal sectors. Policy makers, educationalists, artists and Arts' NGOs will come together to share experiences and develop advocacy strategies to impress the value of arts education and training.

The main objectives of the conference are:

* The sharing of best practices, materials, resources and implementation strategies.
* The development of a policy framework for shared experiences for the formal and non-formal sectors within the region
* To allow for encounters and engagements between artists, practitioners, policy makers, donors and educators from Sub-Saharan Africa to exchange information on training programs and to promote networking and skills sharing between individuals, institutions and states.
* To explore strategies for professional development, including inter-state training; teacher development and non-formal sector accreditation
* To develop advocacy strategies for arts education and to explore the economic value of the cultural industries within the region
* To produce a comprehensive overview document on the state of arts education in Sub-Saharan Africa

The Conference will bring together Sub-Saharan expertise in the field of arts and culture, education and training to share experiences, best practices, materials, resources and implementation strategies. Representatives are expected from the following African countries: DR of Congo; Rwanda, Namibia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Togo, Sierra Leone, Cameroon, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Gabon, Tanzania, Nigeria, Cote 'd Ivoire, Mozambique, Senegal, Angola, Congo, Comoros, Burundi and Burkina Faso. International NGOs such as the International Society for Education Through Art (INSEA), International Drama/Theatre and Education Association (IDEA), the International Music Council (IMC) and the International Society for Music Education (ISME) will also have a presence at the conference. There will also be a strong contingent of delegates from South Africa and UNESCO.

In South Africa, arts education and training for disadvantaged communities usually take place in a number of community based art centres. These centres have developed outside of the formal schooling system. They provide arts training largely to the black community and include a strong element of arts teaching which has produced a generation of great South African artists.

One of the conference halls will also be converted into an Arts Education Expo Centre. A number of cubicles and display stands have been set up to display the work of organisations working in arts education and training. These will include photo-documentation, video footage, teaching and learning resources and other items of interest.

While the aim of the Expo is to offer opportunities for networking and the sharing of ideas, resources, expertise and facilities between formal and community based organisations, it is also meant to acknowledge the importance of both the formal and non-formal arts and culture education and training structures.

Contact: Andile Xaba on 012 337 8497 or 082 370 5336

Issued by: Department of Arts, Culture, Science & Technology, 22 June 2001