Two East African Cities join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network
Port Louis (Mauritius) and Nakuru (Kenya) are the first two cities in Eastern Africa to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN).
Port Louis (Mauritius) and Nakuru (Kenya) are the first two cities in Eastern Africa to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN), following their designation by UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, in recognition of their commitment to placing culture and creativity at the heart of their development, and to sharing knowledge and good practices.
Being among the 49 newly named creative cities, Port Louis in Mauritius joins the Music category, while Nakuru in Kenya joins the Craft and Folklore category. Through the rigorous application process, the UNESCO Regional Office of Eastern Africa supported Mauritius Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage in close collaboration with the Mayor of Port Louis, while the Kenya National Commission for UNESCO supported the application for Nakuru in Kenya, together with the Governor of Nakuru and the Civil Society Organizations in the culture sector.
The UNESCO Creative Cities Network was created in 2004 to promote cooperation with and among cities that have identified creativity as a strategic factor for sustainable urban development.
"I take this opportunity to congratulate the cities of Port Louis and Nakuru for this fitting acknowledgement of their music and craft & folklore sectors respectively. Joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network is not only a pledge and commitment to supporting the cultural and creative industries sectors, but also an important recognition of the artists and artisans who have kept their creativity and craftsmanship vibrant. UNESCO stands ready to support these cities as they position culture and the creative economy at the heart of their development plans at the local level, and aim to cooperate actively at the international level." - Prof. Hubert Gijzen, UNESCO Regional Director for Eastern Africa
The 295 cities that currently make up this network cover seven creative fields: Crafts and Folk Arts, Media Arts, Film, Design, Gastronomy, Literature and Music. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network is not only a platform for reflection on the role of creativity as a lever for sustainable development, but also as a space for action and innovation for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
For more information on the Creative Cities Network, see:
UN entities involved in this initiative
Goals we are supporting through this initiative
