In 2021, Montpellier hosted the New Africa-France Summit, a ground-breaking event designed to redefine the links between the African continent and France. The Summit focused on highlighting the links between civil societies. The participants were not heads of state or ministers, but rather artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, researchers, and academics from Africa and France.
The time has come for us to innovate and work together to create the conditions for a sustainable future for us all. As you probably know, our city is still in the running to be the European Capital of Culture in 2028. I therefore wanted this first edition of the Euro-Africa Montpellier Biennial to be the highlight of our candidacy. Throughout the week, we will bring together a wide range of players from our two continents to discuss the issues that we have in common. Whether we’re talking about water, a crucial issue for our territories and also central to our MedVallée strategy, or about the importance of changing the way we look at the African continent, Montpellier is leveraging this Biennial to create a framework that is conducive to innovation and the collective implementation of concrete solutions.
Michaël Delafosse Mayor of Montpellier
President of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Program contents
The Euro-Africa Biennial will feature two main parts:
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A cultural dimension for the general public
This part of the program includes national and international events to highlight existing and future cooperation between Montpellier and the African continent – a festival for the general public, evening film projections, concerts, dances at the city’s emblematic sites and venues as well as outdoors, artist residencies, focus on the city’s artistic, cultural and knowledge centers – and also to shift the public’s perception about the
reality of current African cultures, particularly in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI) sector.
Halle Tropisme and other venues throughout Montpellier will showcase Africa’s vibrant CCI sector, as an extension of the Africa Past Forward Forum to be held at the Gaîté Lyrique cultural center in Paris on October 6 and 7, 2023.
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A development and innovation dimension
This part of the program –
“Euro-Africa Montpellier Waters Days” – will include a multi-stakeholder conference on the challenges of managing water resources and cooperation between local and regional authorities, scientists, and civil society to meet those challenges.
Another high point will be the
“Campus for Young African Entrepreneurs”, which will welcome its second edition in Montpellier from October 1 to 11, offering a support program for innovative African entrepreneurs active in the fields of technology and innovation, global health, cultural and creative industries, and sports in Africa.
Three main themes will be covered:
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Theme 1: The water that connects us
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Theme 2: Serial futures to explore new ways of working together
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Theme 3: Transformation to change the way Europeans see the African continent.
You can join the movement by
becoming a partner of the event (information and contacts in the event presentation below).
