EU Ambassador Tim Clarke chatting with students at Alliance Françoise in Dar es Salaam

© Emmanuel Kihaule/EU/afrol News

afrol News, 9 February - A well-funded "major programme" to support the cultural sector is close to be approved. The programme would fund Tanzanian entrepreneurs in the cultural field and help conserving national heritage.

This was announced yesterday in Dar-es-Salaam by European Union (EU) Ambassador to Tanzania, Tim Clarke. The EU is Tanzania's major donor, but still does not have a cultural programme in the country.

While the upcoming cultural cooperation programme was not yet fully defined and the size of funding was yet to be agreed upon, Mr Clarke could reveal that "the EU was getting closure to approving a major programme to support Tanzanian institutions that promote culture."

Ambassador Clarke said that the programme would be divided into two parts; one supporting Tanzanian entrepreneurs in the fields of art, music, dance, fashion, and literature, and the other supporting the conservation and preservation of Tanzanian cultural heritage.

"A formal financial decision is not expected for several months, but we can already launch the process and go ahead with identifying possible beneficiaries," he added.

The announcement was made during the launch of the European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC)-Tanzania group that was held in Dar-es-Salaam yesterday.

Through EUNIC, three European cultural institutes - namely Alliance Françoise, British Council and Germany's Goethe Institute - formally institutionalised their links within a broader EU framework. The three have been operating and cooperating in Tanzania for decades now.

EUNIC would now become instrumental in "promoting stronger cultural partnership between Europe and Tanzania, and between Tanzania and the rest of the world," it was announced.

"It is my personal belief that culture is at the very heart of our co-operation and partnership with Tanzania," Ambassador Clarke said in his speech, promising his strong "personal support" in making the cultural programme a success.

By staff writer

© afrol News

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