30/09/2005

The Francophone Festival of International Film brought together at Namur on Thursday the 29th September the representatives of the Coalitions for Cultural Diversity within the French-speaking zone with as theme " Cultural Diversity and the future for creativity". It managed to put in placethe coordination of francophone coalitions pour cultural diversity and the Declaration of Namur in support of a project to achieve a formula for the protection and the promotion of Cultural Diversity which will be put forward for adoption at the 33rd general meeting of Unesco next month.

Supported by the Inter-governmental Francophone Agency, the National Film Centre (France), the SODEC (Québec), Swiss Federal Office for Culture, and the Centre for Cinema and Audiovisual of the French Community in Belgium, these meetings follow on from those organised by the CNC and its partners at the Cannes Festival on the 18th of May, and the one organised by FERA (European Federation of Audiovisual Directors) within the Venice Days on the 4th September at the recent Venice Festival.

Henri Ingberg, secretary general of the French community, present throughout the day, summed up, citing the words of Jean-Claude Batz who was involved in the afternoon: "The challenge for Cultural Diversity is the challenge for civilization."

The Declaration of Namur can be signed online on the site ofFestival of Namur.

(Translated from French)