During the recent official visit of President William Ruto and First Lady Rachel Ruto of the Republic of Kenya, the United States and Kenya announced new initiatives and public diplomacy programs to elevate culture as a diplomatic platform that connects people, preserves cultural heritage, and strengthens the economies of both countries. The State Department’s Ambassadors’ Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) will continue long-term U.S. investments across Africa to preserve and protect cultural heritage and promote tourism. Additionally, in partnership with key industry leaders such as the Recording Academy, the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, and other leading private sector and civil society institutions, the United States will launch new programs to foster collaboration, build capacity, and strengthen the professional creative industry ecosystem. Through these initiatives, the United States and Kenya will bring together industry leaders in music, film, and television to provide the key technical and professional skills needed to support a sustainable and vibrant creative infrastructure.
As part of its shared focus on tourism and cultural heritage, AFCP will support efforts led by the National Museums of Kenya to preserve the ruins of the 15th-16th century Swahili trading city of Takwa. AFCP projects help preserve a wide range of cultural heritage including historic buildings, ruins, ethnographic items, paintings, manuscripts, indigenous languages and other traditional cultural expressions, and contribute to local economies by supporting tourism. Since 2001, AFCP has invested $18.2 million in cultural heritage preservation in more than 45 African countries.
This summer marks the start of a collaborative effort to strengthen Kenya’s burgeoning creative economy. ACTV will bring television industry professionals from Kenya and across the African continent to Los Angeles for a four-week training at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, where they will be mentored by American television writers, producers and industry experts. ACTV will focus on professional development and networking opportunities for television writers, producers and technical disciplines such as art direction, cinematography, editing and line producing.
Additionally, Kenyan mid-career music industry professionals will participate in the inaugural American Music Mentorship Program (AMMP), a partnership between the Department of State and the Recording Academy. AMMP pairs mentors selected by the Recording Academy with international mid-career music industry professionals. AMMP was first announced by Secretary Blinken at the launch of the Global Music Diplomacy Initiative in September 2023.
As part of the Community College Initiative program (CCI), which leverages the U.S. community college system to provide educational and technical training to international students, the United States will offer Kenyan students customized academic programs at U.S. community colleges to develop students’ technical skills in film and television production, increase their leadership capabilities, and prepare them to join the workforce upon their return to Kenya.
Finally, as part of the American Film Showcase (AFS) program, the Film and Television Leadership Initiative will invite Kenyan and other African filmmakers to the United States for workshops and networking with U.S. filmmakers, including at the 2024 Middleburg Film Festival in Middleburg, Virginia. They will also interact with U.S. filmmakers in Atlanta, Georgia, Los Angeles, California, and Washington, DC. The State Department will also send leading U.S. film and television professionals to Kenya for reciprocal exchanges to hold workshops.
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