GlobAl CREATIvE lEADERSHIP SuMMIT MEDIA ... - ArtInfo

MEDIA PARTNERSHIP
LOUISE BLOUIN FOUNDATION INITIATIVES
Investment/Development Proposal for Africa
In Africa, weak legal institutions increase the uncertainty surrounding investment and contractual obligations.
In this environment of high risk, the vast potential for direct foreign investment is unrealized. The Foundation
is working with the International Chamber of Commerce to address this by encouraging stronger legal guarantees
for investment. Further, the Foundation is keen to use its networks to negotiate agreements that attract
investors into the areas of agroprocessing, infrastructure and energy, as well as to broker relationships with
interested companies and sponsor a series of investor and entrepreneur roundtables to generate innovative
ideas and strategies. The Foundation’s strategy will promote public-private partnerships, as well as encourage
corporations to invest a percentage of profits – at least 5 percent - back into the country in a sustainable
manner.
Art + Hope
The Foundation is working closely with the UN Office for Drugs and Crime to support the work of the Victims
Trust Fund of the International Criminal Court in its efforts to empower victims of grave human-rights
violations. The Foundation is supporting a project in which renowned artist Ross Bleckner will engage in a
painting workshop with children abducted in the war in northern Uganda to help them come to terms with
their experiences. Proceeds from the sale of works by the participants will be used to support affected communities.
As an extension of the Art + Hope project, the Foundation will support the production of a BBC documentary
on the use of art therapy to rehabilitate children affected by war in northern Uganda. It features Bleckner and
the head of the UN Office for Drugs and Crime, Antonio Maria Costa, who demonstrate alternative ways to
bring hope to communities affected by widespread human-rights violations.
Ross Bleckner, Art+Hope, Gulu Uganda
January 2009
African Child in Therapy, Art+Hope, Gulu Uganda
January 2009