Dakar, Dec 28 (APS) – After several years of waiting, artists saw, in 2024, one of their old demands satisfied by the government with the adoption of the decree relating to the collection of remuneration for private copying.
The decision taken by the government in the Council of Ministers on October 16, 2024 marked the end of a fight of nearly sixteen years, led by Senegalese artists since the adoption in 2008 of the law on copyright and neighboring rights and the signing of implementing decrees in 2017.
The year 2024 was also marked by the organization of the 15th Dakar Biennale of Contemporary African Art from November 7 to December 7. Initially scheduled for May 16 to June 16 and postponed by the new authorities on April 25, less than a month from the date of its holding, the event enjoyed popular popularity.
”This postponement, beyond the constraints and uncertainties induced by the national and international context, is due to the desire of the new authorities in charge of the sector, to organize the Biennale in optimal conditions commensurate with its scale and its reputation as a historic meeting place for art lovers from around the world,” declared Khady Diène Gaye. The biennial was one of the first issues she had to deal with upon taking office on April 12.
September 26, 2024 marks the commissioning of the national memorial museum ”Le Joola”, built in Ziguinchor (south) on the banks of the Casamance river. The date coincided with the 22nd anniversary of the sinking of the boat Le Joola.
Work on the national memorial museum “Le Joola” was launched on December 20, 2019, in Ziguinchor. The cost of this infrastructure is estimated at three billion CFA francs. A total of 1,863 people died in the sinking of the boat “Le Joola”, which occurred on the night of September 26 to 27, 2002, off the Gambian coast. Only 63 survivors were counted, according to an official report.
The 12th edition of the National Festival of Arts and Cultures organized in Fatick in tribute to President Macky Sall on January 8 opened the cultural year, under the theme ”Macky Sall, arts and heritage”.
The deaths of dancer Aziz Dabala, killed in Pikine in August, and of the Senegalese singer, director and producer, Samba Mballo alias “Bathie” of the group Silent last November, cast a shadow over this cultural year.
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