Today, AMA grantees Dounia Benslimane (Morocco) and Gugu Dlamini (Swaziland) are travelling to Dakar to attend the Arterial Network’s conference on Creative Economy, which will take place from 14 to 16 November.
Widely recognized as one of the leading actresses in her native Swaziland, Gugu is an accomplished performer and arts administrator who has been actively involved in initiatives promoting development through the theatre arts in her country. With a background in advocacy for HIV-AIDS awareness and a strong interest in gender issues, she has served as Vice-Secretary of the Association of Swaziland Theatre Groups (2007-2011) and as Secretary of the Swazi Women in Theatre organization, all the while continuing to perform in festivals in Swaziland and beyond. Following her recent election as Chairperson of the Arterial Network Swaziland, she will be representing her country at this month’s conference in Dakar.
A medical doctor by training, Dounia began her involvement in the cultural sector in Morocco in 2008 and has been devoting her professional activities to cultural advocacy full-time since 2011. Her projects have namely focused on the preservation and restoration of architectural spaces, first through her collaboration with the organization Casamemoire and more recently through her work for the Fabrique culturelle des anciens abattoirs de Casablanca, where she is in charge of coordinating the cultural activities at a newly reconverted art space that houses a collective of fifteen cultural associations. She also serves as project manager for the Arterial Network’s AFRIFESTNET network of African festivals. In Dakar, Dounia will be representing the organization Racines pour le développement culturel au Maroc, which she co-founded in 2010 and for which she is currently Treasurer.
As a pan-African forum bringing together creative industry companies, educational institutions, festivals, research agencies, creative cities, organizations and individuals across different arts disciplines, the conference will offer both Dounia and Gugu the chance to share their expertise and insights with delegates from across the continent, to expand and to strengthen their networks, and to engage in vital debates on the development of the creative sector in Africa.
AMA wishes them all the best in their travels and looks forward to receiving news of the conference!
