African week in the European Parliament (Sept 8 to 12)

 

STASBOURG, France, , September 5, 2008/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Food security and the role of the African diaspora in development will be among the themes discussed during “African Week” being held at the European Parliament. Part of the European Year for Intercultural Dialogue (EYID), the week will feature both political and cultural events.

 

Announcing the event, President Pöttering said: “We are delighted to be able to bring Africans and Europeans together to celebrate African culture. Elected representatives, civil society, artists and the African Diaspora will together celebrate diversity and engage in dialogue.”

 

A panel on intercultural dialogue will bring together Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament, Gertrude Mongella, Pan-African Parliament President, Wole Soyinka, Nobel Prize for Literature, and Malian photographer Malick Sidibé (Thursday 11 September).

 

Parliamentary activities

 

European Parliament committees and delegations will focus on African issues.

 

A round-table on the role of the African diaspora in development will be held by the Committee on Development and chaired by its President Josep Borrell (Wednesday 10, 18.45h).

 

MEPs of the EP’s ad hoc delegation with the Pan-African Parliament, chaired by Michael Gahler (EPP-ED, DE), will meet their PAP counterparts (Thursday 11, 15.00h).

 

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) parliamentary committees will meet on Wednesday to prepare the JPA’s 16th annual plenary session of November 2008.

 

Food facility and the CAP

 

On Wednesday, the Committee on Development will hold a special meeting on the food facility to use extra money from the CAP to help solve the food crisis. The Committee on Agriculture will talk about intercultural dialogue and food security.

 

Cultural events

 

Many cultural events will take place during the African week, including a public concert of African music, at the Place Fernand Cocq, Brussels, on the evening of Wednesday 10 September and exhibitions in Parliament’s premises. These exhibitions will be inaugurated Tuesday by Luisa Morgantini (GUE/NGL, IT), EP Vice-president and Malik Sidibé, a Malian photographer who received a lifetime achievement award (Lion d’Or) at the 2007 Contemporary Art Venice Biennale.

 

 

SOURCE : European Parliament