Appendix 6 - International Music Council

Being understood that the general tendency goes towards the valorization of the
local identities,
• The influence of the very powerful foreign media, relegates the local media;
this can constitute a restreint for the blooming of the local musics. The radio,
for example, in similar circumstance, becomes an element of sovereignty.
• The laws of the WTO which preach the free exchange can be an obstacle for
the blooming of the local musics because they do not always benefit from the
same conditions and infrastructures as those of the Western countries. One
therefore notes the domination of the music of the rich countries over that of
the developing countries.
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The contest of the best song based on the criteria of authenticity and the "Prix
Découvertes" of RFI made it possible to discover titles that become classics such as
"ancien combattant de Zao", a title conceived on the basis of ZEBOLA.
In DRC, the artist Ray LAMA owes his notoriety to the practice and the use of the
traditional musics of his country.
The Congolese State, with its contribution of 90% of the FESPAM budget, supports
thus this diversity.
The FESPAD (Panafrican Festival of Dances) organized in Kigali, is a palpable
example of the will of the States to preserve and promote the African traditional
cultures.
Many African States do not have a valuable cultural policy - they have almost all the
same problems. This is to say that the convention on the protection and the
promotion of the diversity of the cultural expressions becomes a palliative, which
might result in that questions related to culture are taken into account in the various
development plans.
The example of the Republic of Cameroun is to be encouraged; in the same way
other countries such as Senegal, Libya, Kenya, Burkina-Faso, Mali (organizing of the
festival of the traditional hunters) and many others would be more active. They
would make others follow. The contribution to the international fund for cultural
diversity would constitute a strong signal of this commitment.
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