(English version)

Ici comme là-bas
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(Here as overthere)

Being no more considered as a trendy destination, and even less as an "art prescribing" area (although a large part of the western contemporary art is deeply rooted in it), the african continent still attracts a particular cultural interest. Any one here seems to be persuaded (without saying it loud, but thinking so strongly that you could nearly hear the thoughts...) that Africa will never have the chance to follow online the standards of global economic development (but is Africa really looking for that, and would it be the right thing to do ?). 
It looks like Africa would have no other expectation for its salvation  than becoming a "reserve" for "intellectual raw material", where the "contents industry" (new politically correct expression for a larger show-biz), or even any university on its way to privatisation, could find cheaper (much cheaper) precious brains, the fuel for our dominating economies.

Including artists...
(... the first prove of this being that professionnal recognition of the african artist is most often conditioned to an expatriation to the western world...) 

To a certain extent, wether or not consciously  seen (and still granting a certain number of western initiatives, private or public, sincerely trying to make the african society more independent), this double-face game is to be understood as a direct heritage of a certain type of "cultural cooperation": "training african artists and their managers" is still understood as equivalent of of transforming them into apt competitors on the global "entertainment market, " festivalisation of culture " is still considered as the best way to survive for african artists, even if the day-to-day Africa becomes more and more a cultural desert, sold cheap to the most dishonest evangelists, to their tv-channels, to their (sometimes murderous) radio medias.

As a matter of fact, very few specialists dare to dig out the thorny file of the required conditions for a decent economy of the cultural sector in Africa (but are we so sure that we have a decent economy of the cultural sector in our own regions ?).

In the north, it is a fact, though, that developping such a subject will not guarantee  any profit..

Therefore, how to list the preliminary conditions for a local economic development in which artists and their managers would play an "exciting" role, at the most primary sense of the term, enough noble and rooted to give birth to a self-controled global "exportation"?

Since it would be inadequate to dwell in pessimism here (at last, from this side of the Mediteranean Sea, a comfortable attitude...), the questions I could pose as a so-called "trainer" (who cannot avoid better than his collegues the common mistakes of the profession) should  lead into the rethinking of a certain number of concepts. Pushed by intuition, I try, without any academic skill, to revise six conceptual holdbacks, of which nobody (including myself) is anymore able to mesure the consequences at the grassroot level.
The floor must be kept open...

1) (art) territories:
It is impossble, here as over there, to re-shape natural spaces for development, corresponding the ideal space of emergence of the artists, the audiences, the heritages, the markets, etc... and to admit that these new spaces have flexible borders, modifiable, non-military.... In parallel, it
would be interesting one day to set aside the disputable term of "sub-region", surviving since the old colonial times, main obstacle to the emerging vitalities. Before talking about administrative boundaries, there is a fondamental question of the relationship between different ethnies, between these people and their heritage, as a self administration, more particularly through the african artists, voice of the people.

But this unconstrainable movement is embodied as a part of the global problematic of administrative levels, of power transfers between states and supra-collective bodies, of power by-passes conducted by parallel networks. In two or three generations, what will our children face? Will it be global institutions, acting as the world police, or will it be a violent and uncontrolled explosion of the societies to the benefit of mafias, or offensive juntas? What will happen to the diplomacy of nation-states? Will Africa (dare to) succeed to become an alternative, to offer to the world other types of territorial adminsitrations, more human, more flexible, more efficient? As a matter of fact, today, such a naive prospective would be considered utopic, but still, our own territorial management logics are themselves in a complete re-shaping, and quite daring would be the one who puts one model before the others...

In fine, the only certainity is that the whole frame is entering into a  radical transformation...

2) culture and (economic) development:
In my country, France, our peculiar "exception culturelle" (the one for which it is indeed legitimate to die on the barricades standing in front of the bull-dozer of  Entertainment Industries) has nevertheless disconnected emerging artists from the problematic of the economical surrounding of their artistic message. Beyond the protective bubble of public sector (always ending up by  commissionning, which means, finally, installing criteria for beauty and good taste...) they will have to reach soon a certain level of financial autonomy.
How to support, here and over there, any mass movement which would lead any ordinary citizen (african or european) to buy good quality, sustainable, relevant cultural products, hand-made by local artists or by local private enterprises, financially balanced, economically autonome? How to make the cultural consommation profile as high as possible?
This question seems to me a pre-eminent basis for public cultural policy, and refusing to adress it would justify long-term transfusions, of which no one will come out as a winner.

3) social impacts (supermarket, peace, and security):
 First of all, it would be wise to start a systematic enquiery, asking to african audiences what they wait from the artists action in the social field, since they are the first "users" of it. Therefore it means a detailed study of decays, contradictions, diversities...
Taking time, and listening....  
Eventually  it could be wise to stop exporting this european concept of "culture for everyone", which, in the best case, brings a patronising attitude  ("we'll bring you the best cultural products as near as possible, in your village"), and in the worst case by an attempting "african Virgin  Megastore", an air-conditionned space reserved to a few capital cities on the continent, where a rich african bourgeoisie will find the same offer than the big cultural department stores on the Champs-Elysées (eventually on duty free prices)...
...and consequently to favourise the work on the best conditions for an emerging "culture from everyone", so to say any  neighbouring tool, local productions, micro-financing for cultural micro-enterprises, etc... and to let grow the natural dynamic for cross-fertilisation, the artistic alchemy that hides inside each of us, the small commercial networks, etc...  

(...but here again, we could make the same remarks as far as our own regions are concerned...)

A contrario, if we take the time to analyse the sources of the various conflicts in the world, it seems indeed that a black-out on these justified emerging initiatives clearly contributes to these violences.
Finally, better than any police, cultural development could be a excellent (and cheap) peace and security factor.

4) skills transfer (training industries):
In the professionnal terminology, the terms "skills transfer" have now replaced the term "formation". What do we mean exactly, since, to a certain extent, we also go to Africa to learn how to modify our own methods.
As in Europe, it should be convenient to take in account what we will roughly call here the"post- and pre- stage syndrom". Before launching any kind of transfer, it seems inevitable to consider the adequation of this formation to the destination, to the objectives, as well
as the fine evaluation process which should go with it.  It seems easy to say, but there is still an exportation toward Africa of "rough-made" formation modules, rather deconnected from the reality over there, even when they are launched under the most honest purposes, and even more disputable when they form a rather comfortable source of income for the european companies which "commercialize" them.
A striking example of this less and less efficient "good will" is seen in the multiplication, going on since a few years already, of "imported" training courses dedicated to live-performances technicians. We could think twice on the efficiency of this "multi-layer" of technical trainings if we consider the rather high number of african trainees who received these formations, and the still rather low level of technical services for performing arts in the big african cities. It is of course out of question to leave here any contradiction to the absolute necessity of technical training in this domain (and in others),  but eventually to move this debate on the question concerning the professionnal opportunities offered to these young people. Where are they gone ? Do we anticipate any means to follow their tracks ? Can we guarantee them permanent life-long training opportunities ? Or, rather, once we have cashed-in the training budget, do we consider that this "tracking responsability" has lost its importance? Even more, which kind of evaluation tools are at the disposal of the public funders to ensure the benefits and goals of such or such training expenses ?
And the second part of this question concerns of course the development of networks, the fair, equal and sustainable relationships between professionals of different continents, direct and obligatory next step to the original relationship "trainee-trainer".  
... since it should not be possible to plan a training operation without anticipating its result, a"network", without taking in account the spatial aspect of its realisation.

5) Generation gap (clanic culture):
In this sector as well, our european system seems largely more deficient than it is supposed to be. 
Proudly sure of being one of the Temples of Democracy ,  our european cultural sector still knows many conservative tendencies, and it would not be very surprising to recognise in there a deceiving ratio between "leaders turn-over/average age of the captain". Machism is creating the same damages than in other sectors (as far as the leading population of high established francophone cultural institutions are concerned), and the number of "unremovable-for-ever crocodiles" has never been so high...
In Africa too...
It is strikking, indeed, to see the average age of african professionnals in the big cultural fairs and markets on the continent. Although it would be insane to clame for some kind of radical "youngism", or to keep on protecting the old-guard, it is still a shame to see how emerging esthetics carried out by young artists can be totally "blacked-listed" by the tiny little "savana-telephone" of the dominant "Europafric" artistic field.
And when these emerging forces become uncontrollable, when the young artist becomes a young genius, the professionnal recognition is a brutal process, proper to create life-long and counter-productive enemies.
It would probably be more profitable to Africa and Europe if this generation transfer was operated through the ways of the traditional initiation processes, better than through the brutal struggle which is the trademark of modern western markets. 
At this particular point, we directly go back to the question of neighbouring equipments and territories, since this initiating process can possibly be done only in suitable places, some "parcelles de culture", which therefore reactivate the symbols of "sanctuary-schools".
... and, of course, an "african methodology of training" is still to berealised.

6) information black-out (delit d'initiés):
As for the question of training, it is indeed the "post data-transfer" which is to be clearly evaluated.
The recurrent question, here as over there, is the acces to "classified" informations. European cultural professionals know how much it cost  (in cash or in working time) to obtain a first class information, so-to-say a sorted, classified, exploitable one, and above all to gain it before the concurrent organisations, specifically when talking about public
subventions.
On the public funding field , concurrence is wild...
It is a common saying  that  this trade is equivalent (or even more difficult) in Africa.  Therefore, the democratic justification of the transfer is not to be found in the quantity, even in the quality of the transmitted informations, but of course through the ethical aspects of their distribution. 
To plan a development of information without clearing a minimum the way which is diffused to the true receivers seems to be a serious neglect. 
And it is indeed the nature of its way which is political, not only the information as such...

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As concluding words, it is necessary at this point to talk about the essential, the walking power of symbols and esthetics...
It is urgent to support innovation, new signatures, surprises, with tenacity...
It is urgent to help artists to escape the "quicksands of the kitch", in which the economic slavery (in all senses of the term) trap them.
It is urgent that Africa takes back the role of worldwide artistic generator it used to be between the two World Wars.
It is urgent that Africa, to some extends, becomes a profitable model for us, europeans....
We all know, the talents are there, the millenary accumulation of datas is exceptional, and it is ready to feed generously, at any moment, the emerging of new drawings, new sounds, useful here and overthere.
We are facing a gold mine of a new style (or a very ancient one, but we have lost our memory).
This implicates new strategies, different tools.
But any language innovation brings a symetrical invention of a new vehicle...
This implicates, too, more african researchers, more anthropologists, more art teachers, more artists, of course, coming out of african continental schools, whatever they are, official or autodidactical, but directly and sustainabely involved in the populations, in a permanent contact with these emerging processes.
We should blast down the walls of closed schools, here as over there.
In other fields of development, Africa could also be the most welcoming and the most beautiful art school in the world.

Ferdinand Richard, Bruxelles, sept. 20th, 2003.