France will be the Destination Focus country at this year’s FAME Week Africa, a gathering designed to deepen cultural and creative ties between France and African nations across music, audiovisual production, fashion, digital creation, and cultural entrepreneurship.
The French delegation includes professionals from mainland France, Réunion Island, and ventures supported by the second edition of the Création Africa programme, which provides mentorship, business incubation, and investment to entrepreneurs in the cultural and creative industries.
Organisers said the French participation aims to strengthen professional exchanges and foster new partnerships through a programme of music showcases, screenings, panel discussions, business meetings, and fashion presentations.
The French Institute, the cultural arm of the Embassy of France in South Africa, has backed more than 70 projects annually over the past three decades in fields ranging from literature, music, and fashion to visual and performing arts, film, animation, and gaming. Its flagship initiatives include Création Africa, the Fête de la Musique, and the Absa L’Atelier Gerard Sekoto Award.
The focus country programme seeks to promote long-term cooperation through co-creation, skills exchange, and professional mobility, organisers noted, amid rising international interest in Africa’s creative economy.
One existing framework is the Franco–South African Cinematographic and Audio-visual Co-Production Agreement, which facilitates joint film and television productions and encourages professional exchanges between the two countries’ audio-visual industries. An example cited by organisers is Spinners, a series co-produced by France’s Empreinte Digitale, Natives at Large, and CANAL+, together with South African streaming platform Showmax. The production became the first African series selected for the official competition at Canneseries.
FAME Week Africa brings together creators, entrepreneurs, cultural institutions, and industry professionals from across Africa and international markets to explore opportunities for collaboration and business development in the creative sector.
