CONTENTS | ANB-BIA HOMEPAGE | WEEKLY NEWS
by Médard Libani, Brazzaville, February 1999
THEME = CULTURE
From 1-8 August, Brazzaville will play host to the second
Pan African Festival of Music (FESPAM)
in a country which has scarcely recovered from violence
The murderous clashes between ex-Ninjas and Cocoyes and government forces, helped by Angolan army units and ex-Cobras are everyday occurrences. More than a year after the end of the civil war which ravaged the country (from June to October 1997) and the return to power of President Denis Sassou Nguesso, Congo is once again plunged into violence. The latest episode was the bloody clashes which shook the southern parts of Brazzaville, leaving 415 people dead (according to the government); or between three and six thousand (according to the opposition in exile). It is estimated that more than 200,000 people have been displaced.
In spite of that, the organizers of FESPAM have decided to go ahead with the PanAfrican Festival of Music on the chosen dates between 1-8 August. However...
The initiative has generated enthusiasm among those involved, but the organizing committee claims that it lacks the necessary resources. According to Mrs Aimee Mambou Gnali, Minister of Art and Culture, who is also in charge of tourism, and is president of the FESPAM committee, lack of money considerably hinders the necessary preparatory promotion of FESPAM as well as the carrying through of the programme envisaged by the organizing committee. The government has not yet provided the festival with the expected initial funds.
The president of the executive committee is determined that this great African cultural gathering should have an echo throughout Africa, in keeping with the ideals of peace and unity according to the spirit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) which initiated this festival. A member of the committee declared: "If FESPAM succeeds in giving a different image of Africa, our aims will be fulfilled". An official of the Ministry of Culture affirms that this event indicates that Congo- Brazza is once again coming into its own. "Far from being discouraged, we expect to have the means to do the rounds of African countries and invite them to the festival"
To avoid repeating the mistakes of the first festival which was held in Brazzaville in 1996 and which was almost a fiasco because of bad organization, the new government, set up after the bloody events of recent weeks, is determined to make a success of the second festival.
The capital has to rise from the ashes. This is ev-erybody's business, including the President of the Republic. That is why all activities (government, markets, public and private offices) must stop on Fridays to clean up the city. Schools must do this work on Saturdays. Both public and private establishments must place illuminated signs on the front of their buildings. And repainting of buildings should contribute to making Brazzaville more welcoming and hospitable.
Formerly called "Green Brazza", today the capital has become "Brazza The Garbage Heap". Many of its streets, avenues and main roads have lost their former beauty. For the most part, they are dilapidated and have become dumping grounds for rubbish. Inhabitants of Brazzaville indignantly complain: "Many places like hospitals, schools, markets are disgusting. Mice and flies compete with toads and mosquitoes. In these conditions there is a risk of contracting all kinds of disease".
Because of Brazzaville's state, the European Union gave Congo a grant of 400 million CFA francs in September 1998. These funds, earmarked for post-war reconstruction following the 1997 war, are to be used for repairing the storm drains. According to the directors of the French Development Agency, who are overseeing the work, the project which employs over 600 people, involves repair and maintenance of the gutters, the sides of ditches and water courses, the storage and disposal of household waste and the identification of sites for the storing of purified waste. The project involves 11.5 km of main drains. The work which should take five months to complete is in the areas of Moungali, Poto-Poto, Ouenze and Mpila which are subject to periodic flooding.
For FESPAM's organizing committee, many things remain to ensure the success of this cultural event. Many of the hotels needed for housing the guests were destroyed during the war. To solve this difficulty, the authorities have found some makeshift solutions: to lodge invited guests in the dormitories of public secondary schools, university campuses and in Congo-Kinshasa, from where transport will be provided each morning and at the end of the evening sessions.
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