To mark the anniversary of the creation of the Organisation of African Unity, which was founded on May 25, 1963 in Addis Ababa and became the African Union in 2002, the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is celebrating the “Africa Day”.
This anniversary has the dual purpose of reflecting on the importance of Italy’s partnership with Africa and highlighting Africa’s historical, artistic and cultural variety and richness.
Africa Day 2021
Africa Day 2021 was dedicated to the theme of culture and art, through the organization of a virtual exhibition. That video contribution was conceived as an exploration of Africa’s innovative artistic universe, entering the artists’ studios and trying to understand their vision of art and life, going beyond the academic and museum institutional approach. Together with the voices of the artists, those who participated in the online exhibition were able to admire their works which, better than any other image, could tell the identity power of a rich, original and autonomous production.
The event, sponsored by the International Centre of Studies for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage (ICCROM), is freely accessible on the Ministry’s digital platforms and social networks.
Africa Day 2020
The celebration of Africa Day 2020 took place with the publication on the Foreign Ministry’s YouTube channel of a video-marathon consisting of several musical contributions by African and Italian artists, as well as short speeches by political personalities, aimed at underlining the importance of the historical relations between Italy and Africa.
In parallel to the video-marathon, an online photo exhibition “Incontri Italia-Africa in obiettivo” was organised, a tribute to that world so lively, mysterious and full of contradictions, portrayed through the lens of some Italian photographers who worked or lived in African countries.
Africa Day 2019
For the Africa Day 2019, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation organised a celebratory event at the Farnesina, with the participation of African Ambassadors, Italian authorities, as well as representatives of institutions, the business world, civil society and the cultural sector.
On the same occasion, they wanted to enhance the Ex Africa Exhibition, one of the most important exhibitions of African art organized in Italy, launched on the occasion of the second edition of Italy-Africa Conference 2018 and inaugurated in April 2019 at the Civic Museum of Bologna.