Festival on the Niger

FESTIVAL ON THE NIGER - 

Developing the Local Economy through the Arts

Country: Mali

Project initiated in: 2005

Presented by: the European Commission

Partners: Government of Mali, Dutch cooperation and various private sponsors

Project budget: EUR 35 000

// Context
// Project objectives
// Action and impact

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// Context

Ségou, a city of 130 000 residents on the banks of the River Niger some 240 km to the north east of Bamako, was the capital of the Bambara Kingdom and is rich in traditional artistic expressions. In the early 2000s, its economy was essentially based around the primary sector.

In 2003, hotel and restaurant managers in Ségou decided to create a foundation – AHRTS – so as to promote tourism in the region. The AHRTS then went on to create the Festival on the Niger, with the first festival being held in February 2005. This is an annual artistic event in the calendar, with many concerts, dances, traditional cultural events and visual art exhibitions all on the bill. A forum for exchange and dialogue is organised around issues linked to city development.

// Project objectives

The Festival on the Niger has outlined several different objectives which all combine to assist in developing sustainable cultural tourism and the initiation of a sustainable development process for the city and its surrounding region. The primary objective is to grant increased visibility and strengthened attractiveness to Ségou both nationally and internationally. In this respect, it seeks to:

• Promote local artistic and cultural expressions and participate in their preservation.
• Involve the local populations in a common project led for the best interests of the community and support private initiatives in this regard.
• Create an international platform for exchange and discussion through the Forum.
• Transform Ségou into a centre for artistic exhibitions and exchanges for artists and entertainment professionals, both nationally and internationally.
• Contribute towards safeguarding the River Niger, through concrete actions led before, during and after the festival.

// Action and impact

The Festival on the Niger has transformed Ségou into a recognised tourist destination in Mali and in West Africa on the whole:

• In 5 years, the number of tourists visiting Ségou has increased tenfold, going from 1 500 tourists in 2004 to 15 000 tourists in 2008. In 2010, 22 000 visitors from 29 countries attended the festival.
• Participating artists, originating primarily from Mali, are able to benefit from wide-scale visibility, both with the local and international public.

The economic consequences for the city are considerable:

• 2 150 direct jobs were created thanks to the Festival on the Niger in 2010, which represents an increase of 20% compared with the previous year. Within 5 years, local economic activity generated directly by the Festival stands at EUR 2.2 million, not including the payment of taxes to the city of Ségou.
• In terms of businesses: four hotels have been established or expanded since 2006, in addition to several restaurants, two art exhibition galleries and businesses providing support to the tourism sector, including 150 local businesses working directly for the Festival. The craft industry is undergoing rapid growth thanks to the levels of visitors to the Festival.
• Solidarity tourism has additionally undergone development, with 200 families hosting tourists during the festival period, which represents a major source of income for those households concerned.

Festival organisation is today undertaken by a Foundation which employs five permanent staff members, a commitment to its long-term sustainability and development.

The Festival has created a recording studio for artists and has taken the initiative of establishing a Development Centre for Artistic Professions, a permanent training and support structure for business creation and the development of local development projects.

In terms of visibility, the Festival has established international partnerships, which guarantee support to city development initiatives. The local population is heavily involved in this artistic event and is united around the issues promoted by the Festival.

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