Workshops and music mark the agenda prepared by the Federation of African Associations of Murcia to commemorate the International Day of Africa to be held on May 25 The City Council has strengthened collaboration with this group thanks to the call 'Education and Awareness for Development'
The Councilor for Youth and Development Cooperation, Rebeca Pérez, presented this morning the activities scheduled for the celebration of the International Day of Africa to be held on Friday and conclude on Thursday 25 May.
Mady Cisse Ba, the president of the Federation of African Associations of Murcia, was present alongside her.
In this edition a program has been prepared that will begin on Friday the 19th at 5:00 p.m. in the Almudi Palace, with a day of exchange of knowledge and experiences and that will have three round tables that will deal with immigration policies Spanish, the work of non-profit organizations in the current crisis of refugees or immigration from the African and Spanish point of view.
On Saturday 20 a parade will be held in the center of Murcia that will walk the Paseo Alfonso X to reach the Garden of the Malecón and in which the member associations of the Federation will put the color and music to bring the reality of the continent to the citizenship Neighbour.
Once it is concluded, there will be a festive, cultural and musical meeting in the Malecón Gardens until 9:00 pm with traditional games, performances, fighting exhibitions and typical gastronomy.
The program of events will conclude on Thursday 25 May with the celebration of the International Day of Africa to be commemorated with the screening of the documentary 'Fragile Balance', winner of Goya 2017 for best documentary.
It will be at the Regional Film Library Francisco Rabal at 20:00 hours.
All a set of acts that, as stated by Rebeca Pérez "must help to promote the social integration of these people and associations to make known through intercultural activities the traditions and customs of other countries."
The collaboration of the City Council with the Federation of African Associations of Murcia began a year ago with the celebration of its first edition and in 2017 the Department has expanded this joint work with the project 'Africa lives in Murcia', subsidized thanks to the call Education And Sensitization for Development, which was created with the objective of creating a space for cultural expression and exchange of experiences and ideas between the African immigrant population and the rest of the citizens of Murcia.
Its most visible activities are the commemoration of the African Women's Day, last March, and now the International Day of Africa, presented today.
Objectives of the collaboration
Among the objectives that the Department of Youth and Development Cooperation shares with the Federation of African Associations of Murcia include:
- Make the citizens of the municipality of Murcia part of the reality of the African immigrant collective in Murcia and Spain, while showing the city of Murcia the color and joy of life of its sister continent.
- Recognize the role of African women in their family and social aspects.
- Build bridges of dialogue and understanding between the immigrant community and the rest of the citizens.
- Encourage tolerance and respect for immigrants among primary school pupils.
- To direct the attention of citizens, development organizations and local authorities to the most needy places in Africa, paying special attention to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Objectives advocated by the United Nations.
- Strengthen the social capital of the Federation in order to use it as an instrument of change.
Africans in Murcia
In the municipality of Murcia there are currently around 15,000 people of African nationalities, of whom 3,000 come from sub-Saharan Africa.
This population is the youngest, when compared to other nationalities, with a mean age of 31 years, compared to the general average of 43 years.
Collaborating with the Federation of African Associations in Murcia means entering into direct contact with women and men from Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, the Gambia, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria and Senegal and other African countries, who, as the motto says Of this year, a United Africa, and they carry out it creating a space of solidarity of encounter, formalizing a relation that of natural way already existed in the African community in Murcia and that is wanted to share with the whole society
Source: Ayuntamiento de Murcia