What does ACPN mean in AFRICAN

The ACPN is an intergovernmental organisation that focuses on developing, promoting, managing and implementing cultural policies in Africa. It also works to build stronger relationships between African governments, civil society organisations and the private sector to promote sustainable cultural policies.

The ACPN focuses on initiatives such as developing public-private partnerships, facilitating policy dialogue among stakeholders, advocating for pro-culture legal frameworks, creating capacity building programmes, conducting research and providing technical assistance.

The ACPN works to implement regional and international agreements related to culture. This includes agreements such as UNESCO's Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions (2005), South Africa's Rainbow Heritage Protocol (2006) and the African Union's Framework for an Inter-African Cultural Policy (FICP) (2008).

Methods used by ACPN include engaging decision makers through advocacy communications campaigns; organizing consultations with government ministries; establishing civic engagement networks; advocating for sound legislation; monitoring policy implementation; developing training programmes; disseminating knowledge tools among stakeholders; facilitating cross-border collaboration between cultural organizations; and mobilizing resources for arts & culture projects.

You can get involved with the ACPN by joining its network or working groups where you will be able to participate in debates about the future of African culture policy. You can also join or attend their various activities which range from formal meetings of Heads or Ministers of Culture from Member States to grassroots events organized at a national level. Furthermore, one can become a volunteer or simply follow their activities through social media or newsletters.