Senegal awards its young, promising artistes

Twenty six Senegalese artistes have been awarded a total of $100,000, after a rigorous selection process to celebrate country's fresh talent.

Funded by the City of Dakar, the award scheme designed to celebrate creativity among upcoming artistes is within the framework of the Support Fund for Cultural Initiatives, a government initiative established almost five years ago.

In the current phase, a total of 108 cultural items in different areas including audio-visual, event planning, literature and publishing were submitted for consideration.

According to Omar Ndao, a director at the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in Dakar who headed the selection jury, the selection was done transparently.

Capacity building

The official said that the jury members were trained in the various disciplines featured in the competition to ensure that only quality projects and initiatives were awarded.

The winning work became property of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. To sharpen their skills further, winners will be put through exchange programs and future capacity building training, Mr. Ndao explained.